In a display of star power rivaling any event involving Donald Trump, an array of celebrity Knicks fans gathered at Madison Square Garden for what was billed as one of the most exciting nights in New York sports history.

Among the high-profile attendees, Timothee Chalamet made a stylish return to his courtside spot, donning an eye-catching orange suit and sunglasses for the face-off against the San Antonio Spurs. Notably absent was his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, who had joined him for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Cleveland just last month.

Comedy star Ben Stiller, accompanied by his wife Christine Taylor, also made an appearance, sitting right beside Chalamet as the game kicked off. Earlier this year, Stiller publicly criticized Trump for incorporating scenes from his film “Tropic Thunder” in a promotional montage supporting America’s conflict with Iran.

Taking to social media platform X, Stiller expressed his disapproval: “Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”

Joining the roster of Trump critics was Larry David, the mastermind behind “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” who secured a prime seat for Game 3 of the Finals, solidifying his presence among the evening’s notable attendees.

David once infamously mocked Trump supporters in an episode of his popular show by wearing a MAGA cap whenever he wanted to keep people away from him. In another iconic episode, David tripped and injured Shaquille O’Neal when he stretched his legs while sitting courtside at a Lakers game.

Timothee Chalamet was courtside for Spurs vs Knicks without girlfriend Kylie Jenner

Ben Stiller had one of the best seats in the house on a huge night for New York sports 

Chalamet and Stiller were going crazy when the first quarter finally began at MSG

Larry David was shown in his seat by ESPN around an hour before the start of the game

Other notable names included Jay Z, John McEnroe, Jason Bateman, Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and Yankees baseball legend Derek Jeter.

It was a nervy start by the Knicks though, who looked to be feeling the pressure of so much anticipation. They were 11 points back, trailing 33-22 at the end of the first quarter.

Trump, a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan, was thunderously booed by the Knicks fans who joined him at MSG with the hottest ticket in town.

The President smirked as the booing rang out when he was shown on the jumbotron during the national anthem. He was standing alongside Dolan and his eldest granddaughter, Kai.

The booing then quickly turned to cheers when the cameras flipped to Jalen Brunson, the star of this Knicks team trying to win its first NBA finals since 1973.

Trump’s attendance on Monday night had proved especially polarizing for Knicks fans due to the security measures that needed to be implemented to protect him.

Lines to get in were starting at least four blocks away from MSG, while metal detectors were set up 200 feet away from the venue that every fan would have to pass through, with the Secret Service watching on. 

Trump protestors gathered near the venue, too, adding to the tension outside as tipoff neared. 

Chalamet was without girlfriend Kylie Jenner, despite taking her to previous Knicks games

Comedian Tracy Morgan waves to the Knicks fans after greeting Chalamet at the game

Spike Lee and Dave Chapelle posed for pictures with fans before the game began at MSG

The New York Police Department and Secret Service established a multiblock security perimeter around the arena and, controversially, canceled the hugely popular watch parties outside of the venue. 

They were, however, popping up everywhere else across Manhattan.

The NYPD even shut down every sidewalk and street from West 30th Street to West 35th Street between Sixth Avenue and Eighth Avenue in a move halting all pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Game 4, back at the garden, is scheduled for Wednesday night. 

PORTLAND, Maine — Hopes among Democrats for a fresh contender to challenge Graham Platner have officially faded.

Governor Janet Mills took a trip to Boston to pay her respects at the funeral of the late Representative Barney Frank, while many Democrats across the nation quietly wished she would step in to rejuvenate the party’s efforts in Maine by restarting her Senate campaign against Platner, who has been mired in controversy.

Once a leading Democratic candidate for the Senate, Mills abruptly halted her campaign in late April after falling behind in polls to the contentious oyster farmer, Platner. At 78, Mills recently reminded voters that her name remains on the ballot, even as Platner’s campaign faces numerous allegations of misconduct, including claims from former partners.

Despite these challenges for Platner, Mills chose not to reignite her campaign, leaving anxious Democrats without a new viable candidate, and instead spent the night before the election attending a funeral.

“There’s a misconception that I ‘withdrew’ or ‘dropped out,’ but I merely paused active campaigning,” Mills shared with the Lewiston Sun Journal earlier this month. “I am still on the ballot.”

Ironically, Frank himself had backed Mills in the Senate race and, while in hospice, publicly expressed his qualms about Platner.

“I worry a little bit about the tendency on the Democratic side to fall for the flavor of the month,” Frank told Politico. “There is this flirtation or this attraction of people who are new and who are very good at articulating a response to the anger, but without talking about what you do about it.”

Under state law, candidates have to file to withdraw from the ballot 70 days before a primary, which, in this case, was the end of March.

“Mills sits vetted and scandal-free, with her only baggage being a list of accomplishments and a record of effective scorn for the president,” one Democratic operative noted, referencing the Maine governor’s battles with Trump executive actions.

Mills has refrained from endorsing anyone in the Maine Senate race. Multiple allies have privately urged her to get back into the Senate race as Democrats sweat over Platner’s viability in a general election.

The Maine governor has declined to do so, but her ballot position is widely seen as a way to gauge a potential Democratic protest vote against Platner, who is the party’s presumptive nominee at this point.

“I think if Platner is anywhere in the 60s he’s in trouble in terms of support,” a Democratic operative aligned with Mills told The Post.

Two other Democrats, David Costello, and write-in hopeful Andrea LaFlamme are also vying for the Maine Senate seat, but have lagged behind Platner dramatically in most polling.

Mills had been grappling with lackluster financial resources and a significant polling gap that motivated her to cease active campaigning.

Backed by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mills launched her campaign last October, months after Platner had kicked off his. Some critics argued she jumped into the race too late to gain traction.

Since suspending her campaign, Mills has made only a few public appearances to tout various accomplishments, such as legislation barring cellphones in classrooms, and to celebrate dairy farmers.

Now Democrats are doubtful that Platner can defeat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) — a win that is paramount to Schumer’s hopes of reclaiming the Senate.

While Platner is ahead of Collins in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate by 7.4 percentage points, she has a history of massively overperforming polls.

There’s also anxiety that the horny oyster farmer might have more skeletons in his closet than is currently known.

Last week, Platner was rocked by a bombshell report about his unsettling past behavior toward his former girlfriends.

One of them, Lyndsey Fifield, a GOP operative, alleged that Platner pulled her out of a cab by the wrists and at another point twisted her arm behind her back before locking her in a room. Platner has denied being physical.

The New York Times, which broke the story, also reported it reviewed past text messages she sent to a confidant describing his Nazi tattoo, before it was publicly known he had one.

The skull and crossbones tattoo on his chest resembled a Totenkopf, or “death’s head” symbol that the Nazi SS used, and Platner revealed he got it while inebriated in Croatia in 2007, but has insisted he had no idea about its ties to the Nazis.

Before the Fifield accusations broke, the Wall Street Journal reported that Platner was sexting with other women while married. He had tied the knot with his wife in 2023.

Then there’s the laundry list of his Reddit posts where he suggested a Purple Heart veteran didn’t deserve to live, defended urinating on a dead Taliban body, mused about doing unholy things to porta potties, and more.

Separately, the body of a woman discovered on a Florida beach last week has been identified as Kellie Melinda Williams, an American Airlines flight attendant. Officials believe she died following an apparent collision with a boat while snorkeling.

Her remains were found by two fishermen in the surf near Hollywood Beach around 8 p.m. on June 3, as reported by CBS Miami.

Authorities have stated that the 31-year-old flight attendant bore injuries that align with being struck by a vessel. Her cause of death has been determined to be blunt force trauma.

According to a statement from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), “Based on the investigation, it appears the deceased was snorkeling or diving in the area of Dr. Von D Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park during the day of June 3.” FWC officials are collaborating closely with Hollywood detectives as they continue to investigate this case.

Kellie Melinda Williams was found dead in Hollywood, Florida. (INSTAGRAM /@kellieflower)

Details regarding the suspected boat involved in Williams’ death or if any suspects have been identified have not been released. News Media reached out to FWC and Hollywood police for comment. 

Kellie Melinda Williams was found dead in Hollywood, Florida, from a suspected boat strike. (INSTAGRAM /@kellieflower)

One witness detailed the scene as the pair of fishermen pulled Williams’ body from the water Wednesday night. 

“Two fishermen were fishing right off the beach, and I saw them from my window pulling something, then I saw them drag something onto the shoreline,” Emilio Benitez told NBC6 South Florida. “And it turned out to be a lady’s body.”

Williams’ parents reportedly told the outlet that their daughter had recently gotten married and moved to Florida, adding that she was an avid snorkeler and “great person.” 

Williams was a flight attendant based at Miami International Airport, according to the Miami Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

Flight attendant Kellie Melinda Williams was killed in a suspected boat strike in Hollywood, Florida. (INSTAGRAM /@kellieflower)

“It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our colleague and fellow MIA Flight Attendant, Kellie Williams,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with Kellie’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time.”

A woman’s body was found washed up on the beach in Hollywood, Florida.  (Julie Deshaies)

Williams’ employer, American Airlines, also expressed the company’s grief upon hearing of her passing.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague,” an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement to News Media. “Our thoughts and support are with her family, loved ones and colleagues at this time.” 

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Cardi B is gearing up to take center stage for the halftime show at the NBA Finals game set to unfold at Madison Square Garden in New York City this coming Monday.

The 33-year-old artist, who hails from New York City, is poised to entertain the crowd during the intermission of Game 3, where the New York Knicks will face off against the San Antonio Spurs.

Her much-anticipated performance was announced via a jumbotron inside the iconic arena, a revelation confirmed in a post shared by ticket retailer TickPick on the social media platform X.

In preparation for the show, media personnel and team staff were observed fine-tuning the graphics and lighting, as reported by Billboard, ensuring everything is perfect for Cardi B’s performance.

This game carries additional significance, as it will not only feature President Donald Trump among its attendees but also marks the return of an NBA Finals game to this legendary venue for the first time in 26 years. The last such occasion saw the Knicks face defeat against the Spurs, a team then spearheaded by the NBA icon Tim Duncan.

This year’s Knicks team has already ensured a better result, with a 2-0 series lead over their rivals from the Lone Star State.

Cardi B, 33, is slated to play the halftime show at Monday’s NBA Finals game at New York City’s Madison Square Garden

The New York City native is set to perform on the court in between Game 3 pitting the hometown Knicks against the San Antonio Spurs. Pictured 2024

The Grammy-winning musical artist has been seen sitting courtside at Knicks games in the past, emerging in May of 2025 with her then-beau Stefon Diggs at a playoff game against the Boston Celtics. 

Other notable musical artists who have performed in the halftime shows at the famed venue include Jadakiss, Fat Joe and Fabolous. 

The slated appearance comes as Knicks fever has set the stage for Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs to be a must-see event – inside Madison Square Garden and on the streets and in bars across New York City.

More than three hours before the scheduled 8:42 p.m. tipoff, fans in blue and orange were chanting ‘Let’s go Knicks!’ and ‘Knicks in four!’ outside the arena. Some were already in line to get in.

‘This is my son here, so taking him to the finals, you can’t really put a price on the experience and it’s priceless,’ said Greg Weldon, who flew in from Florida to attend a finals game like he did when New York won it all in 1970 and ’73. ‘It’s like that commercial: The tickets, ridiculous; the hassle getting in, ridiculous — the experience, priceless.’

The cheapest upper-deck seats available were going for over $5,000 on resale platforms like StubHub, SeatGeek and VividSeats. The experience of being courtside goes for more than $75,000.

‘I don’t care who you are, that’s a lot of money for a ticket,’ said guard Jose Alvarado, a New York native who was planning a viewing party in Brooklyn and pointed out his Queens high school also is hosting one. ‘People that could afford it, we’re grateful with them coming out, and it just shows you our team is really special and we’re doing something here that hasn’t been done in a long time.’

The Knicks are two victories away from their first championship since ’73, and the hoopla for Game 3 includes the anticipated appearances of President Donald Trump and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. 

The I Like It singer was advertised on a jumbotron inside the famed Big Apple arena, as seen in a post on X from the ticket retailer TickPick Monday

The WAP artist pictured in Atlanta this past May 

Trump’s presence led to the cancellation of a planned watch party outside the arena, where fans have gathered throughout this run that has included a 13-game winning streak.

‘Hope has been brought back to the city,’ center Karl-Anthony Towns said. Teammate Josh Hart said ‘it’s going to be rocking’ but lamented the high cost just to get into the Garden.

‘I kind of wish the ticket prices weren’t as crazy as they are,’ Hart said. ‘I feel like a lot of people who have been waiting for this moment for a very long time unfortunately aren’t able to get into the building.’

No NBA team has gone up 2-0 in the finals on the road and not won the series.

‘They win this game, it’s kind of over, so this is the game to be at,’ Weldon said.

The possibility of a sweep drove ticket prices up to over $10,000 apiece over the weekend, and the price is about the same for an if-necessary Game 6.

Fewer than 20,000 people will get the opportunity to attend each night. Alvarado knows far more will be watching on television all over.

‘The people that can’t afford it, we improvise,’ he said. ‘We’re New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.’

Graham Platner, frequently finding himself in hot water, often resorts to a familiar scapegoat: the Jewish community.

More specifically, Platner tends to mention “AIPAC” and gestures toward Benjamin Netanyahu as the mastermind, suggesting a global Jewish conspiracy without outright saying so.

Currently running as a Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Maine, Platner faces allegations of mistreating women. It’s been revealed that he kept an active presence on the “Kik” app, notorious for predatory behavior, and admitted to engaging in explicit text exchanges with several women since marrying in 2023.

These controversies have emerged even after he covered up an old Totenkopf tattoo, a notorious symbol.

Senator John Fetterman recently criticized his Democratic peers for supporting Platner, listing his various transgressions, including the controversial tattoo. In response, Platner accused Fetterman of being a puppet for AIPAC.

Of course, that’s also what he says about his GOP opponent, Sen. Susan Collins, though he has to tell massive whoppers about how much AIPAC money she’s received to justify it.

Nationally, the Democrats have gone blind, deaf and dumb to the sort of thing they used to call “dog whistles,” but which in this case are blaring sirens and lights flashing “JEWS JEWS JEWS.”

Blind or complicit: Platner’s key guest at his rally last Saturday was Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), one of the richest members of Congress, who came to Bar Harbor to defend Graham and rail about the fabled “Epstein Class.”

The Epstein Class, a group originally named — but never defined — by Khanna, refers to a shadowy cabal of pedophiles who evidently run the country for nefarious purposes.

The term may not be explicitly antisemitic; you can consider it just a coincidence that it all plays off Jeffrey Epstein’s evil . . . but consider how Khanna praised Platner for “telling the truth about the billionaire class, about the Epstein class, about AIPAC, about foreign wars.”

Vile as Jeffrey Epstein was, he and his circle had nothing to do with promoting “foreign wars,” nor were any of them prominent AIPAC sponsors.

So what are Khanna and Platner — who also rants about the Epstein Class — talking about?

When they (along with their Republican ally, Thomas Massie, who just got rejected by his voters) keep dropping blatant hints about Jews, malicious elites and billionaires that sound like the sort of thing Henry Ford published in the 1920s in the Dearborn Independent, it sure sounds like a concerted effort to revive the classic blend of Jew-hate.

Few Democrats — Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) excepted — have been willing to push against this rising tide of hate within their party.

If Dems don’t start fighting the virus soon, it’ll take a full-on civil war to burn out the infection.

A man attempting to evade arrest by swimming across a Central Park lake was apprehended by New York City police on Monday, according to officials.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) reported that officers initially attempted to arrest the individual on petty larceny charges in Harlem. However, the suspect had other plans and sought refuge in the nearby park.

In a daring escape, the 23-year-old suspect made a dash into Central Park and plunged into the Harlem Meer, a picturesque 11-acre lake situated at the park’s northeast corner.

From an aerial view, the dramatic scene unfolded as the suspect tried to outswim the authorities in New York City. Despite his efforts, police swiftly apprehended him, bringing the escapade to an anticlimactic end.

Determined to avoid custody, the 23-year-old suspect fled into nearby Central Park and dove into the Harlem Meer, an 11-acre lake at the northeast end of the park.

REPEAT OFFENDER STREET RACING AT 106 MPH MOWS DOWN EMT AFTER PREVIOUSLY KILLING SOMEONE IN CRASH: POLICE

A larceny suspect was arrested Monday after jumping into a lake in Central park while fleeing from authorities, police said. (WNYW)

Video captured an NYPD helicopter hovering directly above the lake as the suspect attempted to swim to the opposite shore.

NYPD divers eventually entered the water, retrieved the swimmer, and placed him under arrest, police said. He was transported to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital in stable condition.

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CHICAGO — Legal proceedings are intensifying in the murder trial of Adam Beckerink, as his defense team seeks to prevent key pieces of evidence from becoming public. Central to this legal skirmish is the debate over access to Beckerink’s electronic devices, mental health intake records from his time at Cook County Jail, and personal diaries.

Earlier this year, Beckerink, a Chicago-based tax attorney, entered a plea of not guilty to nine charges, including the murder of his 36-year-old wife, Caitlin Tracey, and the subsequent concealment of her body. Tracey’s remains were discovered at the base of a stairwell in Beckerink’s South Loop condominium in October 2024.

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Following Beckerink’s extradition to Cook County, where he faced charges for Tracey’s murder after serving a domestic violence sentence against her in Michigan, courtroom focus has shifted to the admissibility of evidence. A pivotal issue is whether prosecutors should have access to Beckerink’s mental health records from his jail intake.

ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer commented on the situation, stating, “It’s going to be a pitched battle over these things because there can be really valuable information there. It doesn’t mean, however, that it’s all disclosable.”

The defense is particularly resistant to the potential release of the “bruise sheet” or intake form used during Beckerink’s processing at the jail.

SEE ALSO | Parents to retain custody of woman’s body after death at husband’s South Loop condo, judge rules