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O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree ... how pricey are thy Executive Branch's expenses?

The cost of President Trump's second National Christmas Tree Lighting on Wednesday totaled $141,944 -- up slightly more than $2k from 2017 ... according to federal receipts.

The White House tab includes $115k for event management services, $14,322 on a sound system rental ... and $12,622 for ballistic glass to protect Donald, Melania and the fam.

For comparison -- the cost of lighting the tree last year was $139,881. We originally thought it was $128,424 ... but we found an additional invoice for more than $11k on event management.

Perhaps Trump heard about consumer spending being up on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and joined the party.

BTW, this Christmas bill doesn't the include the giant evergreen -- it's usually donated -- or the notorious blood-red trees Melania picked to line an East Wing hallway.

Tekash69 has more legal drama on his hands, but it's got nothing to do with his federal racketeering case.

TMZ's learned Tekashi's being threatened with a lawsuit if he doesn't cough up $500k to Hits Before Fame & DMV Events ... the promoters who fired off legal letters to Tekashi's team claiming that's how much they're owed after 69 bailed on one of their concerts.

TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi was scheduled to perform during Howard University Homecoming weekend in October but the rapper angered thousands of fans when he bailed 35 minutes before doors opened at Echostage in D.C. ... forcing organizers to turn away about 400 people waiting in line.

Making matters worse ... Tekashi turned up a couple hundred miles away at Powerhouse in NJ on the same night.

According to the legal letter, obtained by TMZ, the promoters say they're out the $58,470 paid to Tekashi ... plus loss of ticket sales and rental/marketing expenses, among other things. The promoters want Tekashi to pay up or face a lawsuit.

O, what an opportunity for Oprah fanatics who want to own a piece of history from her iconic TV show.

The folks over at Screenbid are auctioning off 48 official studio audience chairs from "The Oprah Winfrey Show." It's a big deal ... the show, of course, ended in 2011 after 25 marvelous seasons and over 4,500 episodes.

The chairs -- each with its own commemorative plaque -- are practically a steal ... the asking bids are less than $100 but if rabid fans wanna drive up bids, they'd be doing so for a great cause. We're told proceeds from the auction will benefit Oprah's Leadership Academy Foundation in South Africa, which helps empower gifted girls who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Move over, "Mob Wives" ... there's a new show getting ready to mark its territory on VH1 with ties to drug cartels.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... VH1 is done casting for its non-scripted show that will feature people whose family is closely associated with the drug trade. We're told one person who made the cut is Michael Corleone Blanco -- the son of the notorious gangster, Griselda Blanco -- aka "The Godmother of Cocaine."

If VH1 wanted a member closely associated to the cartels, look no further than Michael Corleone Blanco, whose mom was Pablo Escobar's inspiration.

For the uninitiated, Griselda -- also nicknamed "The Godmother of the Medellin Cartel" -- reigned terror in Miami during the cocaine wars of the 70s and 80s. She reportedly ordered hits on hundreds and served nearly 2 decades behind bars in the U.S. for drug trafficking and 3 murders.

Griselda -- who once allegedly plotted to kidnap JFK Jr. -- was portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie "Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story." She was eventually deported to Colombia and gunned down 6 years ago outside a butcher shop in Medellin.

Floyd Mayweather ain't gonna like this ...

George Foreman tells TMZ Sports it doesn't matter if Money goes ANOTHER 50-0 ... he'll never consider him the greatest boxer of all-time -- 'cause he ain't a heavyweight!

"If Floyd Mayweather goes out and gets a real beer belly and comes back and challenges the heavyweights, I'll call him all that," George tells us.

"But right now, he's thin as a rail."

Floyd's 50-0 and owns victories over Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley and just about every other great fighter of this era ... and even has a win against one of the UFC's best too (sorry, Conor).

But, Foreman clearly doesn't care ... telling us ya gotta beat the BIG boys to wear the GOAT crown.

"He's got to say, 'I'm one of the best.' That's all he can say."

Ariana Grande is slowly but surely erasing Pete Davidson from her life AND body ... updating a tattoo with a tribute to Mac Miller.

Ariana's hawk-eyed fans noticed in her behind-the-scenes footage for the "Thank U, Next" music video the tattoo "Myron" on her foot. The name belongs to Mac Miller's dog. The tattoo used to have the numbers "8414" ... a badge number that belonged to Pete's late father and firefighter who died in the September 11 attacks.

It's hard to tell, but you can definitely see the numbers are gone. In the video, you can see Ariana bending over and pointing to her foot to show off her new tat. She says, "Look at my Myron. Guys, look. How cool, right?"

This tattoo cover-up game is just the latest since Ariana broke off her engagement with Pete back in October. As you know ... she covered up a "Pete" tattoo on her finger ... first with a band-aid and later converting it into a heart.

Pete hasn't been taking this lying down either ... the Ariana-inspired bunny tattoo behind his ear was also 86'd. But, Ariana's latest ink upgrade no doubt shows Mac's still heavy on her mind.

Not long after Mac died from an accidental overdose ... Ariana posted a video on her Instagram with Myron. It's crystal clear Ariana's got tons of love for this pup ... and she found a way to pay homage to Mac and his pooch while also erasing Pete from her life.

Two birds ... one stone.

Lil Xan has just checked himself into rehab.

The rapper's girlfriend, Annie, posted Sunday on Xan's Instagram account "Diego was just admitted into his first treatment." She went on to say, "He loves each and every one of you sending good wishes and prayers to him. We thank you all so very much for all of the love and support you are sending his way."

As for why it took until now for Xan to check into rehab -- after announcing his intentions back on November 15 -- we're told the facility where he was supposed to check himself in had a mix-up with patients staying longer than initially anticipated. The small hiccup has now been resolved ... allowing Xan to check himself in.

As we reported ... Xan came on "TMZ Live" and explained why was heading to rehab. He told us he's been struggling on and off with opioids and needs treatment to help him get over the hump.

You'll recall, Xan reached out to us after we broke the story about Mac's cause of death and he opened up about his own current struggles.

Robin Thicke got everyone in the holiday spirit when he performed at the "One Love Malibu" benefit concert.

The singer gave a solid rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Sunday at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas for the concert benefiting victims from the deadly Woolsey Fire. Robin's just one of several artists scheduled to headline the event.

Katy Perry and Gwen Stefani are also scheduled to perform and no doubt tons of celebrities will be attending. We already spotted Brody Jenner hanging out early.

As we reported ... the Woolsey fire torched nearly 100k acres and destroyed more than 1,600 structures. Three people were killed as a result of the fire and nearly 300k people were evacuated. Gerard Butler, Camille Grammer, Liam Hemsworth and Robin himself are some of the celebs who lost their homes.

Kim Kardashian West was flying over Malibu when she saw the flames, which reached her and Kanye's property.

Magic Johnson's daughter had to flee a San Fernando Valley house where 2 armed men staged an early morning home invasion ... TMZ has learned.

Elisa Johnson was at an Airbnb, rented by friends, Sunday morning ... when the men got inside and started terrorizing the 10 people who were staying there ... according to law enforcement sources.

It's unclear if the suspects broke in or if the door was unlocked -- but we're told they held people at gunpoint, shoving them around the home.

23-year-old Elisa -- who appears on her brother EJ Johnson's E! reality show -- was in a bedroom and heard the commotion. We're told she fled through a sliding glass door at the back of the home and ran down the street to escape harm.

Meanwhile, the suspects cleaned out the home and fled before police arrived. We're told they made off with a Rolex and other jewelry, cash and electronics ... for a total haul worth between $30-$40k.

Beyonce's brilliance continues sailing new heights ... it's the only way to describe her performance Sunday honoring the late Nelson Mandela.

The Queen brought the crowd to its feet and even triggered tears -- presumably of joy -- from thousands of fans who watched her perform at the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.

The event honored Mandela's 100 years since the South African president's birth. Jay-Z also headlined the event but no doubt the show belonged to his wife. You can see her jam out with Ed Sheeran ... and the crowd -- treated to the free concert -- ate it up.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox says even criminals have needs ... so he's down for El Chapo to get down in prison so long as he remains there. Forever.

We got Fox at Reagan National Airport Friday and talked to him a little bit about El Chapo ... specifically how a judge denied the drug lord's request to let him hug his wife in court. Sounds like Fox thinks that was harsh ... even for someone as notorious as Chapo.

The woman Kareem Hunt slammed down and kicked was initially gung-ho to press charges against the then-NFL superstar, but she's since gone silent ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we first reported, the woman repeatedly told Cleveland PD officers who responded to the scene she wanted to press charges. In the bodycam video we posted, she asked to see the surveillance footage, and also asked the police to look at it.

She said she wanted Hunt prosecuted for the alleged assault and/or for stealing her phone's SIM card. In the attack video, you clearly see someone walk off with her phone. She says it was eventually returned but, apparently, without the SIM card.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the woman never took her demand for charges to the city Prosecutor's Office and hasn't cooperated with the Prosecutor -- and that might be why the case has gone nowhere.

We're told police viewed the incident as an alleged misdemeanor assault, because, to the best of their knowledge, the woman hadn't suffered any serious injury. She would need to present evidence of serious injury for the incident to upgraded to a felony.

It's a fact that prosecutors can charge suspects even without the alleged victim's testimony. However, our sources say that rarely happens in Cleveland ... unless it's a felony or a domestic violence case.

So, the question is ... WHY has she gone silent? We've reached out to her several times, but no reply.

Hunt was asked point blank Sunday morning, during his ESPN interview, if he'd had any contact with her and he denied it ... adding he "barely knew her."

We're told she has 18 months to press charges, so there's still time.

11:53 AM PT -- Ken's ex-wife, Jackie, tells us he had been battling heart issues for several months, and had stint surgery in October. But she adds, his heart illness continued to worsen in recent weeks, and he'd been in and out of the hospital.

Jackie says their daughter, Jennifer, Ken's partner Susie and herself were all by his side until the end. She adds, Susie had been with Ken for 26 years and encouraged him through his ailment.

Ken's final wishes, we're told, were for people to donate to the Motion Picture Fund -- a retirement community for actors -- in his honor. He had planned to retire there.

Ken Berry, who starred in several classic TV series, including "F Troop" and "Mayberry, R.F.D.," died on Saturday ... according to his ex-wife.

Actress Jackie Joseph-Lawrence announced Ken's passing with a Facebook post Saturday evening.

Ken played Sam Jones -- first on "The Andy Griffith Show" and also on the spin-off, 'Mayberry,' -- but might be most beloved for playing Capt. Parmenter on the Western sitcom "F Troop" from 1965 to 1967.

His costar Larry Storch reacted to the news, saying, "We hope you know how much you were loved. Goodnight Captain."

Ken landed on yet another cult classic TV sitcom in the 80s when he played Vinton Harper, opposite his good friend Vicki Lawrence on "Mama's Family."

He also had memorable guest-starring roles on several TV series like "Small Wonder," "Fantasy Island," "CHiPs," "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Golden Girls."

No cause of death has been released yet.

Ken was 85.

RIP

10:41 AM PT -- The NFL just put out a statement saying its investigation continues and "it will include a review of the new information that was made public on Friday -- which was not available to the NFL previously -- as well as further conversations with all parties involved in the incident."

It's interesting ... the league's saying it will have "further conversations" with everyone involved but Kareem straight-up said the NFL never spoke to him.

Kareem Hunt says the NFL's investigation of his alleged assault on a woman never included speaking to him about it ... and he says he thinks he deserves to play again in the league.

The ex-Kansas City Chiefs running back made his first public comments about the story TMZ Sports broke -- the video of Hunt shoving a woman to the ground and kicking her. Hunt told ESPN's Lisa Salters, he'd never seen the video until we published it ... and repeatedly claimed he's "not that type of person."

He said all the usual apology phrases -- "I regret the entire thing," and claimed he was going to get treatment for anger management. He has not yet. Mind you, the incident happened back in February.

As for what led up to his violent attack that night in the Cleveland hotel/residence where he lives ... Hunt would only say, "Honestly, it was just a long night. To be exact, it don't really matter ... I was in the wrong."

He claims he'd only met the woman once before and, "Honestly, I wanted her just to leave, but it's no excuse." Hunt says after seeing the video, "I thought of myself as being ... that's not me. I was raised better than that."

The biggest shocker was his claim the NFL never questioned him. Our NFL sources say the league opened an investigation back in February -- after the incident was first reported. It's shocking the league's investigation would NOT include speaking directly to Hunt.

As we first reported, we're told the league made multiple attempts to see the video we posted -- but the hotel/apartment building said it would only release it to law enforcement, and Cleveland PD also refused to give it to the league.

3:46 PM PT -- We spoke to Briana who tells us her body's in a lot of pain but otherwise doing okay. She says she's waiting for the shock to settle and is currently being looked after in the hospital.

Briana Renee's car -- or what's left of it -- looks like she should've severely injured when she slammed into a pickup truck ... but by some miracle, she's okay.

TMZ obtained these pics of the ex "Little Women: LA" star's Audi after she got into a car wreck Friday in Temecula, CA. The front end of her ride, especially on the driver's side, is crushed.

Brianna says she was doing about 35 MPH when a pickup truck unexpectedly turned left in front of her. She says the impact felt like hitting a brick wall. The car looks like she did, too.

Briana says her airbag did not deploy, but still ... she felt like an angel had unfolded a cushion to protect her from slamming into her steering wheel. She was alone in the car.