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Cynthia Nixon and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held nothing back in a nasty debate for the Democratic seat in the state's race for governor.

Nixon and Cuomo squared off Wednesday night -- at Hofstra University -- in the only debate scheduled before New York's Democratic primary September 13. Two topics in particular got the two trading jabs ... immigration and public transportation.

At one point, Gov. Cuomo flat-out yelled at the former "Sex and The City" star, asking her to stop interrupting. However, the shining jab came from Nixon who dished an insult calling Cuomo a liar.

Nixon announced her candidacy back in March on a platform that's focused on public transport and immigration.

7:54 PM PT -- Pump has been released from custody. A source close tells us he was issued a ticket and will not have to appear in court ... it'll be handled by his legal team.

3:42 PM PT -- According to the police report -- obtained by TMZ -- officers initiated the stop after discovering the license plate on Pump's Rolls-Royce actually belonged to a Mini Cooper. When cops asked Pump for a driver's license, he allegedly told them he'd never had one.

Lil Pump's been arrested in Miami, and TMZ got pics of him in handcuffs during the bust, and his grinning mug shot after he was taken into custody.

Witnesses tell us the "Drug Addicts" rapper was pulled over Wednesday afternoon while driving a black Rolls-Royce -- and, according to law enforcement, it's because of an issue with his driver's license.

His Miami-Dade County Jail booking sheet says he doesn't have a valid license. He's currently still in custody.

We broke the story ... Pump was also arrested earlier this year for firing a gun into the door of his L.A.-area home. He originally claimed intruders fired from the outside, but cops quickly realized the rapper was the shooter ... and there were no intruders.

Pump was taken to a juvenile detention center because he was 17 at the time. He turned 18 a couple weeks ago.

Sen. Lindsey Graham can't hide his pain over losing John McCain, but says there can be a silver lining ... if politicians, including himself, lead more like his friend did.

Senator Graham was clearly emotional about Sen. McCain's death when we saw him Wednesday at Reagan National. He described himself as McCain's wingman, and said America had lost its "voice of reason."

He added, "I gotta up my game" ... insinuating it was time for elected officials to govern more like the AZ Senator did -- fighting passionately, while respecting the other side.

As for the guy who repeatedly disrespected McCain -- President Trump -- Graham said the administration will be represented at the memorial services ... even if POTUS himself won't be there.

A hacker who exposed nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebs is the one getting nailed now ... by the judge who sentenced him to 8 months in federal prison.

George Garofano illegally hacked the private Apple iCloud accounts of Lawrence, paving the way for nude photos and private info to leak all over the Internet. In addition to his prison time, the judge also hit Garofano with 3 years supervised release once he gets out.

The 26-year-old pled guilty in April and admitted he'd posed as a member of Apple's online security to access usernames and passwords.

Garofano was one of four people charged in the massive celeb hacking scandal, which began in 2014 and saw photos published online claiming to show Jennifer, Kate Upton, Ariana Grande, Kirsten Dunst and others.

This is wild! Chaka Khan -- a 10-time Grammy winner and as well-seasoned a performer as anyone in the biz -- says she's got butterflies about performing at Aretha Franklin's funeral.

We got the iconic funk singer Wednesday as she was heading off to Detroit from LAX to get ready for the Queen of Soul's Friday's funeral service -- which will include performances from Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill, Ariana Grande and Chaka herself.

Our camera guy asked if she's nervous to get onstage to honor Aretha, and surprisingly ... she says absolutely! That's saying a lot for someone who's been rocking stages since at least the '70s, if not well before that. Still, even for Chaka ... delivering for Aretha's got her jittery.

She even tells us what song she's going to sing -- and finishes by offering an unofficial invite to the First Family ... should they be inclined to attend.

Ex-pro tennis player Anne White says she knows how Serena Williams feels about the ban on her catsuit at the French Open .. because she went through the exact same thing back in the '80s.

White famously wore a body suit to play in Wimbledon in 1985 -- but was told during the tournament, the suit violated the dress code and she needed to change it or she couldn't continue.

She changed her outfit -- and lost the following match.

White tells TMZ Sports she felt the whole thing was sexist -- "It's kinda crazy that women aren't allowed to wear what they want to work. It's a shame."

Like Serena, Anne says her catsuit was more about function than fashion -- explaining her outfit was intended to keep her warm in the cold weather.

FYI, Serena's catsuit was custom-designed to increase blood circulation in the wake of health issues caused by blot clots.

White tells us ... she's a HUGE fan of Serena and believes tennis officials should change the rules to allow women like Williams to essentially wear whatever they want, especially if there's a legit reason.

Louis C.K. did NOT tread lightly in his first stand-up gig since admitting his sexual misconduct, because he reportedly cracked a joke about rape whistles.

Remember, C.K. copped to dropping his pants and masturbating in front of women ... and even coercing them into keeping silent about it. So, at least 2 female audience members at the Comedy Cellar in NYC were shocked to hear him start a bit about the phrase "clean as a whistle."

The women told Vulture C.K. worked up to a joke about rape whistles NOT being clean, and they say it was very well received -- "people were laughing, and I was just sitting there like, oh my f**k."

They were uncomfortable and depressed that C.K.'s joke had killed ... especially considering the things he's admitted doing.

Ah, the perks of the Royal family.

First, let's once again congratulate Prince Harry for locking down Meghan Markle. A tuxedo mini dress never looked this good!!!

Second, let's imagine how AMAZING it would be to see "Hamilton" not once, not twice, but 3 times!!!

Oh, and did we mention the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are watching the musical alongside its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda?!?!

Must be nice.

It's all going down in London ... and it's all for a good cause.

Wednesday's performance is helping raise funds for one of Harry's charities, Sentebale, which does life-changing work for youth affected by HIV and AIDS in Africa.

Meghan, Harry and Lin-Manuel were guests of honor.

It's the first time Meghan and Harry have seen "Hamilton" as a married couple. They saw it during a date night in February, and Meghan also saw the show in NYC with Priyanka Chopra.

French Montana just got bit, legally speaking, by his pool guy ... who says the rapper's dog bit him.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Juan Lomeli says the run-in with the German Shepherd went down in May 2017 ... while Juan was servicing French's pool. He says he'd had the pool gig for 6 months and had no issues with Zane, the dog.

However, in the lawsuit, he says Zane went off for no reason that day ... biting and viciously attacking him and causing some serious injuries, although he's not specific about them.

Juan claims he was hurt badly enough that he couldn't work for some time.

Taylor Hicks says even though Katharine McPhee's recent tweet about voting seemed to shade him pretty hard ... it's really all in good fun, and for a good cause.

We talked to the "American Idol" season 5 winner Wednesday about McPhee tweeting out "voting matters" -- along with a pic of the moment she lost to Hicks.

Taylor praised Kat's post as a brilliant way to encourage people to register to vote in the 2018 midterms. He says he and Kat remain supportive of each other -- but he still threw some playful shade back her way.

Aside from national elections, Mr. Soul Patrol would love for you to cast a vote for the third season of his food/travel show, "State Plate." It premieres Sept. 24 on INSP.

Louis C.K.'s surprise return to stand-up -- to the delight of some and dismay of others -- has full support from some very important people in the comedy world ... the guys running the clubs.

TMZ's learned several comedy hot spots in NYC would gladly welcome Louis back, despite his fall from grace last year after he copped to sexual misconduct.

Louis Faranda, talent exec of Carolines on Broadway, tells us ... the comedian is like a son to him -- they personally go back to the beginning of C.K.'s career -- and he's a longtime friend of the club.

Faranda adds ... "We all make bad mistakes in life and everyone deserves the right to be forgiven ... I totally understand the plight of the women he offended, [but] I also love Louie C.K. and CANNOT turn my back to him ever!!"

Likewise -- Al Martin, owner of Broadway Comedy Club and Greenwich Village Comedy Club, says ... "Everyone is entitled to a second chance. I would book Louis." C.K. has performed at his clubs in the past.

Bill Boggs, officer of the Friars Club, tells us it would also have Louis back. Boggs says, "We were repulsed by his actions and there’s no question about that," but he gives C.K. the benefit of the doubt that he's learned from his mistakes. "We can't punish people for the rest of their lives; we can't assume they haven't learned. People can grow and change."

These clubs are not alone. We broke the story ... fellow comedians like Marlon Wayans are glad Louis is back onstage, with Marlon telling us he feels C.K. did his time in "comedy jail."

Other comedians, though -- like Melinda Hill -- feel C.K. needs to fully apologize and make amends for his wrongdoing before he returns to the mic. Melinda says Louis is "spearheading the #MeTooSoon movement."

C.K. showed up unannounced at the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan Sunday night and did a surprise set ... after going MIA for about 9 months following a public admission of using his power to masturbate in front of women without their consent.

John McCain's casket has arrived at the Arizona State Capitol where family, friends and the public are paying their final respects to the late Senator.

The Arizona Army National Guard carried McCain's casket into the Capitol Museum rotunda Wednesday morning for a private ceremony for family and colleagues ... including remarks by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

During the ceremony, McCain's family was front and center honoring the somber occasion. McCain's wife, Cindy, and daughter, Meghan, were both very emotional at the sight of the casket.

The viewing will open to the public in the afternoon. McCain is the third person to lie in the rotunda in the last 40 years ... State Senator Marilyn Jarrett and Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens were the others.

There will be a procession Thursday morning that will weave through Phoenix before making its way to a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church.

McCain died shortly after his decision to stop medical treatment after a year-long battle with brain cancer.

Ex-Ohio State football coach Zach Smith is furious -- claiming allegations he beat his wife are wrong and he's threatening to sue the reporter who broke open the story, Brett McMurphy.

"Silence = over," Smith tweeted Wednesday ... the beginning of an angry rant directed at reporters and his ex-wife, Courtney Smith.

Smith claims McMurphy's reports about him are not only wrong -- but claims some of the images he's posted or reported on have been photoshopped.

"I am waiting for one thing that is accurate beyond a name change or photoshop session. I will see you in court you clown."

Smith also lays out his version of the "facts" -- saying:

"1. My kids are suffering because of all of this (most important)
2. I never beat my wife
3. OSU botched the investigation and worse off the 'punishment.'
4. They forced [Urban Meyer] into his statement, I hope at least... because he knows what’s real and would have never apologized.
5. President Drake is either the cause of the joke of an 'investigation' or 'punishment' or he allowed it."

Smith added, "It is very hard to be silent when falsehoods & half-truths are said about you and there is no way to defend yourself. I’ve made mistakes in my life but being a domestic abuser is not one of them! I’ll answer every question in court and under oath when the time comes & cant WAIT!"

Smith also posted a photo of his two young kids claiming they're the ones hurting the most from the scandal.

As we've previously reported, Smith was fired in July after allegedly violating a restraining order requiring him to stay away from his ex-wife.

It has since come out that Courtney called police on Zach several times over the years alleging domestic violence but he was never formally charged with a crime.

Zach has previously denied abusing Courtney, but acknowledged that things had gotten physical during heated disputes.

There's still mystery surrounding the death of Bethenny Frankel's boyfriend, Dennis Shields, because an autopsy was NOT performed.

The Chief Medical Examiner of NYC says there was a religious objection to the autopsy, so it was not performed -- and the cause and manner of death has been ruled undetermined.

We're told in New York, a religious objection can prevent an autopsy as long as police don't suspect a crime had been committed.

TMZ broke the story ... Dennis was found dead earlier this month in Trump Tower from an apparent oxycodone OD. Dennis took an unknown quantity of oxycodone Rx pills, law enforcement sources say, and the following morning he asked his housekeeper to fetch Narcan, which blocks the effects of an opioid overdose.

It's unknown when Dennis lost consciousness, but at some point the maid called 911. As we reported, the maid administered the Narcan but Dennis remained unresponsive. EMTs rushed to Trump Tower but it was too late.

Bethenny was extremely emotional during a final goodbye to Dennis. He was buried Aug. 13.