NEW YORK — Donald Trump is set to be the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game, bringing strict security measures that will require New York Knicks fans to navigate an extensive safety perimeter around Madison Square Garden and an expected lengthy wait to get inside the building.
The security for Game 3 between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs and the scene around the arena more closely resembled New Year’s Eve in Times Square, and for fans, it might seem more akin to a trip to the airport. They were asked to get to the game two hours early and will be required to provide a ticket to get past various checkpoints along with passing through a TSA-style magnetometer.
Trump’s appearance led the New York Police Department and Secret Service to establish a multi-block security perimeter around the arena, cancel a watch party outside and institute a no-bag policy for ticket-holders. Fans had gathered around the Garden to watch games during this playoff run, during which the Knicks have won 13 games in a row to reach the final for the first time since 1999 and move two victories from their first NBA title since 1973.
“The NYPD in coordination with the Secret Service made the decision for Game 3, where we have a presidential visit, that we could not support watch parties right outside of the Garden,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Monday. “We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4. But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.”
Trump has attended several major sporting events in his time as president, and the security measures have created major hassles for fans.
Thousands of fans missed the start of last year’s U.S. Open men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner because of lengthy security lines. Even though the U.S. Tennis Association pushed back the start of the match by a half-hour, many fans still couldn’t get in because added measures meant that they had to go through screening not only when they arrived at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center but again in front of the steps into Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Trump watched from a suite.
Asked his thoughts on Trump attending, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said: “Cool, I guess. We can still get out there and play (no matter) who’s here and who’s not.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries are also expected to be at the game Monday night.
It was already hard enough for Knicks fans to get inside Madison Square Garden because of astronomical ticket prices. The get-in price for a ticket is higher than the average cost of monthly rent in New York, surging over $6,000. The best seats are tens of thousands of dollars. Mamdani said he bought his ticket for about $1,000 directly from Madison Square Garden.
The difficulty of seeing the game in-person has prompted fans to crowd bars, streets and watch parties all over the city. The watch party near the Garden has become a major event all through the playoffs, but with Trump attending, that event will be moved a few blocks away outside the security perimeter, at Bryant Park.
“We improvise,” said Knicks guard Jose Alvarado, who is a New York native. “We’re New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Whyno writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.
Speaking to Alison Mitchell, former England player Phil Tufnell says the Lord’s pitch was “not a good look'” for Test cricket as he, alongside former England captain Michael Vaughan, criticise the surface used for the first Test between England and New Zealand.
Nelly Korda’s bid for a U.S. Women’s Open title began Thursday with a foot fault.
The No. 1-ranked player opened her round at Riviera wearing a pair of golf shoes provided to her by LeBron James, Nike Victory Pro 4s with white uppers, gold swooshes, red-and-navy details and an American flag pin on the laces.
Snazzy as they looked, the shoes were a little loose fitting for Korda, who swapped them for a more familiar pair after she played the first six holes at one over par. She never really found her groove and finished the opening round with a two-over-par 73.
“Just hit it really poorly off the tee,” said Korda, who immediately headed to the practice range after meeting with the media following her round. “Found myself in a lot of trouble on the wrong side of a lot of these pins. I just felt like I was kind of just grinding to make safe pars. It wasn’t a great day. I hit it really good Monday through Wednesday, so I have honestly no idea where this came from.”
For others, Riviera — playing host to the major championship for the first time — was as comfortable as an old shoe.
Korea’s Sei Young Kim worked her way to the top of the leaderboard with a 67, making back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes, then three in a row on Nos. 6, 7 and 8.
Sei Young Kim eyes her putting line on the ninth green during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club on Thursday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Kim ended a personal streak of 43 consecutive major championship rounds shooting 70 or higher. It was the longest active streak of its kind entering this week.
“The U.S. Open is not regular — not the same as a regular tournament,” Kim said. “So you need to be really patient instead of attacking the pin. So I really try to follow what my caddie says.”
Some caddies have an even closer relationship with their players. On the bag for Michelle Wie West is her husband, Jonnie West, son of late NBA legend Jerry West. Wie West retired three years ago after the Open at Pebble Beach, but came out of retirement to use her last year of exemption to play on this iconic course, celebrating its centennial.
Wie West opened her round with a flourish, crushing her tee shot 293 yards down the left side. Although she missed the green on her approach, chipped up for a short birdie putt but missed it.
Wie West, once one of the biggest stars in the game, qualified for the USGA amateur championship at age 10, the youngest player to do so. She turned professional shortly before her 16th birthday and won five times on the LPGA Tour, with her only major victory coming at the U.S. Open in 2014.
Now a mother of two, Wie West said part of her motivation to return for this tournament was so her daughter, Makenna, who turned 6 this week, will have memories of her playing.
Michelle Wie West, right, and caddie Jonnie West, her husband, discuss an approach shot during a practic round Wednesday.
(Harry How / Getty Images)
“It’s everything,” Wie West said of that inspiration. “Being able to share this with her — even the last couple of months, just practicing. We talk a lot before she goes to bed, and I tell her what I do when she’s at school. ‘I had a tough day at practice. This is what I overcame.’”
Makenna is almost a sounding board.
“My daughter is like the best sports psychologist I’ve ever had, honestly. … I’m going to try to live by the words I tell my daughter. I always tell her before a game or tournament, ‘I don’t care about the results. All I care about is a good attitude and that you try your hardest.’ That’s my No. 1 goal this week.”
Still in search of her first major victory is Gaby López, whose 68 on Thursday put her just behind the leader. She grew up in Mexico City and said Riviera has a familiar and comfortable feel.
“It’s all high elevation [there] and flies way less here,” she said. “But the same kikuyu [grass] and the ball sits up, and you just have to be ready to hit some flier shots off the fairway.
“That rough, you can get lucky at times. … It’s so sticky it’s hard to get it out, especially when you’re going to have no spin. So you just have to be very specific where you’re going to miss it if you don’t hit the fairway.”
Lopez has started hot in the U.S. Open before, although she wasn’t pleased with those results. She was four under through her first nine holes in 2017 before going two over in her second nine. She shot a 70 that day and was tied for 13th after the opening round, but wound up missing the cut.
Her approach this year is simple and straightforward.
“Right now let’s be smart, let’s be focused on what you want to achieve,” she said, “and at the end of the day, let’s put yourself in a position that you can have a shot on the back nine on Sunday.”
England’s Emilio Gay falls for eight on Test debut as he’s caught off the bowling of Kyle Jamieson with the home side 16-1 on the first morning of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.
SACRAMENTO — The debate over immigration issues has reached a fever pitch nationwide, and Angelica Salas said it’s putting her employees at risk.
Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said her staff experiences harassment and death threats.
“They ask themselves, what if someone who disagrees with our work can find where I live, will my family be safe?” Salas said, addressing state lawmakers at a recent legislative hearing.”People begin to self-censor; they step away from their work and some leave the field entirely.”
Salas was speaking in support of Assembly Bill 2624, which would provide privacy protections for those facing harassment for working or volunteering with organizations that offer legal and humanitarian aid to immigrants. The bill would create an address confidentiality program, like the one already offered to reproductive healthcare workers, and prohibit people and businesses from selling or posting images or personal information about the protected individuals on the internet.
The measure has drawn ire from Republicans, who argue it could have a chilling effect on free speech and the media. Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) dubbed it the “Stop Nick Shirley Act” and said it would prevent right-wing social media influencers like Shirley from conducting immigrant-related investigations in California.
Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), who authored the legislation, said the proposed law would help keep people safe — but several 1st Amendment experts this week told The Times the bill could have unintended consequences.
“There could be grounds for concern,” said Jason Shepard, a media law and communications professor at California State Fullerton. “It reflects a legitimate and important state interest in protecting people from harassment and threats. But at the same time, this bill punishes the publication of information.”
The legislation defines “personal information” as anything that identifies, describes or relates to the protected individuals, including their names, addresses, telephone numbers, physical descriptions, driver’s licenses, financial information, license plate numbers and places of employment.
Shepard said the potential new law could be applied unevenly, and the language could have a chilling effect on investigative journalism.
Given the polarized political environment, Shepard said the legislation also could prompt other groups to request similar protections, as those working in a range of professions are facing increasingly heated rhetoric or attacks.
“This is not unique to people who are working in immigration support services; this really could apply to anybody engaged in public debate today,” he said.
Carolyn Iodice, the policy director for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, known as FIRE, said the organization has noted an uptick in laws nationwide implementing privacy protections for those in certain professions.
She pointed to a statute enacted a few years ago in New Jersey that protects the addresses of judges, prosecutors and police officers. The law was used in 2023 to block an editor with New Brunswick Today from publishing an article about the police chief living two hours outside of the city.
“It was obviously newsworthy, but this officer was able to wield the law against this journalist, and that is the kind of thing we are worried about,” Iodice said. “When you think about handing what could be a huge number of people the ability to just block anything from being posted about them online — it could easily be abused.”
David Loy, the legal director for the nonpartisan First Amendment Coalition, said the measure would censor the free speech of all citizens, not just those who defamed or threatened immigrant aid workers.
“Someone might have a legitimate dispute with them and wants to refer to it online,” he said. “But they could then basically silence [that person] from referring to them on a Yelp review or Facebook posts that has nothing to do with threatening them — and that is going way beyond the narrow exceptions of the 1st Amendment.”
Loy said the coalition reached out to Bonta’s office and hopes to help tweak the bill.
Meanwhile, the legislation continues to face scrutiny from Republicans.
“We exposed CA Democrats for the ‘Stop Nick Shirley’ Act that silences citizen journalists who expose their fraud and corruption,” DiMaio wrote this week on social media.
Shirley released a viral video last year alleging fraud in Somali-run immigrant daycare centers in Minneapolis. He recently shared videos of himself in Sacramento confronting Democrats who support Bonta’s bill.
“The enemy is truly within,” Shirley wrote on Instagram. “When our politicians would rather protect fraudsters and illegal migrants, it’s time for us to stand up or face mass oppression from the traitors.”
Bonta dismissed the assertion that the bill is intended to deter journalists, stating in a news release that “right-wing agitators” and “ineffective legislators” were intentionally spreading misinformation.
Bonta spokesperson Daniel McGreevy said the bill has a straightforward goal of protecting immigrant service providers. He said the office is working to refine the legislation to address concerns and welcomes good-faith dialogue.
The bill is progressing through the state Legislature and most recently was referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
CHRISTINE McGUINNESS has revealed she is closer than ever to Paddy – even though their marriage ended four years ago.
In fact, the former model claims Paddy has even checked out the women she is dating, branding herself a “five star lesbian” in her most revealing interview to date.
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Christine McGuinness has revealed she is closer than ever to Paddy – even though their marriage ended four years agoCredit: News Group Newspapers LimitedChristine claims Paddy has even checked out the women she is dating, branding herself a ‘five star lesbian’ in her most revealing interview to dateCredit: Getty
And, with the pair still living under the same roof as their three children in leafy Cheshire while they wait for it to sell, she says Paddy is fully supportive of her choice,
But now she is looking to the future — and plans to have a woman by her side as a life partner.
“I would love to have a wife one day,” Christine explains on new podcast It Started With A Kiss out today.
“Not like a legalised marriage, but like a blessing, a celebration of love.
“I’ve been there, done it, spent an absolute fortune and probably aged about ten years throughout it all.
“I don’t want to do that again.
“I would love to just be saying, ‘This is my wife.’”
Christine’s unusual set-up with Paddy means the pair juggle dating outside of the home.
“I love a double life,” Christine added.
“It’s ideal for me because I don’t want to bring somebody into my personal life too quick.
“I like the separate life.
“My family, my kids, my home is up there, then I come to London, step off that train and I can work, have fun, sleep in and I don’t need to worry about everything.”
It is the freedom of Christine’s new lifestyle, and the support of Paddy, which she says has allowed her to start again.
Although her openness with Paddy may shock some.
On the podcast Christine is asked: “Are you showing him pictures like, ‘Oh look at her, she’s fit. What do you think of her?’
And Christine tells the hosts Amy Spalding and Gareth Valentino: “There’s times where we have, yeah.”
For now Christine insists she is still dipping her toes into the dating pond and has yet to properly settle down.
“I’m just seeing how things go, just figuring it out.
“I’m trying to not plan too far ahead,” she explains.
“I’ve dabbled in people who are in the industry.
“I’ve been trying to think what really works better.
“I quite like that people that aren’t in it are usually a bit more . . . they’re happy to just take it slow and they understand that I don’t want to just put you on Instagram the next day because of my work and everything.
“So that’s usually quite nice.
Christine with podcast hosts Amy Spalding and Gareth ValentinoChristine and Paddy with their three kidsCredit: Instagram
“But I tend to just meet people out and about, at events and stuff.
“I’m quite lucky that I mix in circles with a lot of gay, bi, pansexuals.
“I’ve never gone too serious with anybody in the industry, it’s always been more of a fun fling type thing.
“I’ve spent time with a lot of women in sport.
“I’ve spent time with women in music.
“I’ve spent time with actresses.
“With me, I can panic and I can pause if I think of the future too much.
At the time, the pair released the news in a joint statement and said: “A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus as always is to continue loving and supporting our children.
“This was not an easy decision to make but we’re moving forward as the best parents we can be for our three beautiful children.
“We’ll always be a loving family, we still have a great relationship and still live happily in our family home together.”
The couple first crossed paths in 2007 at the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament when Christine was working as a model for boutique shop Cricket.
Months later they started dating and in June 2011 they married at Thornton Manor in Cheshire.
She documented her diagnosis in a BBC documentary, Unmasking My Autism, in 2023 and said at the time: “Starting life on my own is scary, I struggle making decisions.
“I was only 19 when I met Patrick and for the last 15 years my role has been wife and mum.
“When I was diagnosed, I set out on a journey to find out who I was.
“I have separated from my husband in the process, I’m shedding my old identity and finding out who I am.
“I’ve only ever had this one man in my life, I don’t know what it is like to date.
Christine said: ‘The first time I kissed a woman, again after my husband and no disrespect to him, I remember that first kiss being so soft and so nice and so feminine’Credit: Mark Hayman – FabulousChristine said: ‘I would love to have a wife one day. Not like a legalised marriage, but like a blessing, a celebration of love. I’ve been there, done it and probably aged ten years’Credit: Unknown
“I can’t imagine being single or with another man.
“But I’m going into a new chapter on my own which is petrifying for someone who doesn’t like change.”
Two years later, she started to date both men and women and now says she has found her type.
“I’m a sucker for a stud and a masc,” Christine explained, suggesting she prefers more masculine women.
“I swear they come for me.
“This one date, well, it wasn’t a date, it was when I did the whole hotel thing and not the whole date thing.
“Because I didn’t want to ever just meet someone and it just be sex, but then kind of did find myself in a place in life where I was like, ‘Do you know what? I actually do just want to do that.’
“I’ve been married, I’ve had situationships, I was single, I was celibate for six months, and with all of that, I just had a moment of, ‘Do you know what, I wouldn’t mind just meeting up with someone and just seeing how it goes.’
“So I got to this hotel and I’m thinking, ‘This is just sex, it’s fine.’
“She was very, very beautiful, like that perfect, pretty, handsome, like masc stud type woman, really gorgeous, dark skin, like she had everything.”
Christine adds: “We’re just chatting away and she said that she was a Gold Star Lesbian.
“So I’m like, love that, love a Gold Star Lesbian.
“I went, ‘Stop . . . because you might be a Gold Star Lesbian, but I’m a Five Star Lesbian.’”
Of her first kiss, Christine is just as open, saying: “The first time I kissed a woman, again after my husband and no disrespect to him, it had been a while.
“I remember that first kiss just being so soft and so nice and so feminine.
“I knew I always felt it and it wasn’t something that I was worried about never doing again because when I married, I married for life, genuinely.
“But I was really happy that I was doing it again.
“And I’m really happy that now I am dating women again and that I am having fun.
“I’ve got some of the best stories, some of the wildest memories, like the craziest experiences that only I and one other person would ever know.”
During the episode of It Started With A Kiss, Christine said she has drawn the line at introducing a partner to her children early.
Joking that women in same sex relationships move forward quicker when it comes to love, Christine says: “It’s two weeks and you’re moving in, you’ve got a cat and a flat . . .
“For us two, if we ever end up in something where it progresses and it turns into a relationship and then they want to live with you or whatever.
“I don’t want any more children because a lot of the women that I meet usually don’t have children and they want children, whereas I’ve had them.
“So that’s something that I try to be honest about at the beginning to anybody that I’m even talking to.”
Of settling down for good, Christine says neither she or Paddy are in a rush.
She adds: “We know it’s going to take a while because we’ve got children.
“Going back home, we both kind of get that reality check of we can’t just go and move in with somebody just yet.
“But we’ll talk, we’ll have a laugh, we don’t go into too much detail about anything.”
Christine’s full interview on It Started With A Kiss is available on YouTube and all podcast platforms now
