Kendrick Perkins didn’t shy away from ripping into Victor Wembanyama.
The former NBA player and ESPN analyst eviscerated Wembanyama for his play in the Spurs’ NBA Finals loss to the Knicks during an appearance on a Yahoo Sports show Wednesday.
“Wemby was soft… let’s keep it real, he was soft and he was scared, especially in the big moments,” Perkins said. “He did a whole lot of barking in the interviews, but he did no biting whatsoever.”
“If I’m in the locker room and they bring me in, the first thing I’m going to do is actually tell him to embrace being the big man first with guard skills,” Perkins added. “After Game 1 and Game 2, they made an adjustment and started hiding Wemby so that he didn’t have to guard Karl-Anthony Towns. We’re talking about the Defensive Player of the Year… you’re [7 foot 5], you can be the most dominant player in the league by just embracing being a big man.”
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) goes up for a shot as San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) defends. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Perkins wasn’t the only person critical of Wembanyama’s offensive play in the Finals, however.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor also believed the Spurs star was exposed offensively in the Finals.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the game against the New York Knicks during Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
“The inability to create a shot, the strength, it does go to show how far he still has to come as a player, particularly on the offensive end of the floor,” O’Connor said on his show. “He does not have a go-to move, he does not have a go-to spot that he wants to get to on the floor.
“Too often, I still feel like he falls in love with the jumper.”
Wembanyama, who finished third in MVP voting this season, averaged 26 points per game in the Finals, but shot just 42 percent from the field and around 27 percent from downtown.
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday barred Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton from showing up to his confirmation hearing just hours before an eager Senate was to fast-track his nomination.
Trump made the surprise demand over Truth Social in his latest dustup with Senate Republicans, insisting instead they first confirm Clayton’s successor as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
In a rare flex, Republicans initially sought to forge ahead with the hearing in a rush to get Clayton in place to succeed outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard — and avoid installing federal housing chief Bill Pulte into the role on an interim basis.
But once it was clear the president wouldn’t let Clayton attend, the hearing was called off. It appears Pulte will be in place by the end of this week to lead the US intelligence agencies temporarily.
“It’s regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,” said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
“Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly. While today’s hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters earlier Wednesday that Cotton was “planning to proceed” despite an earlier threat from Trump, who in a Truth Social post called for the hearing to be nixed.
Cotton had noted that “unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination,” the hearing would commence.
President Trump in a Truth Social post Wednesday had called for the hearing to be nixed. Getty Images
The president had before drawn a red line that only when Sullivan and Cromwell partner Jamie McDonald was “approved” as Clayton’s replacement in the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office could the DNI nom be considered.
The president also said he would not “approve” of a bill reauthorizing one of the government’s premier foreign spying powers until the GOP’s voter ID bill passes Congress — the latter of which doesn’t stand a chance of clearing the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster with Democratic support.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act lapsed on Friday after Senate Democrats blocked a short-term extension of the authority — in protest of Pulte’s appointment as acting head of the intelligence agency to fill in for outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters that “702 is going to stay dark, and that’s a danger to the country during the World Cup, where we have a lot of people here from around the world, and where we’ve got regimes like the Iranian regime mad at us.”
“We basically blinded our intelligence community, because 60% of the president’s daily brief comes from 702, by tying all these together, and then also saying, ‘Well, you got to pass the Save America Act,’ which we know we don’t have the votes for,” Cornyn also said. “We’ve got to find a solution.”
“All I know is that [Senate Intelligence Committee] Chairman [Tom] Cotton [R-Ark.] is planning to proceed,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters Wednesday. ZUMAPRESS.com
The US House of Representatives also voted down FISA reauthorization, with Democrats expressing concerns over Pulte, who has no relevant national security experience and has been serving as Federal Housing Finance Agency director since March 2025.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told reporters it was “a colossal mistake” for the president to have intervened at a point when some Senate Democrats would have been inclined to support the nominee and stop Pulte from assuming the acting DNI role.
“We were on the brink of getting 702 reauthorized, and then they put this sycophant Pulte in place for an interim job,” Tillis said Wednesday. “Now we’re in a posture to where it may be the reason why [FISA Section] 702 doesn’t get reauthorized.”
Trump nominated Clayton to succeed Gabbard hours before both chambers of Congress would deliberate on FISA. AP Photo/Seth Wenig
Trump nominated Clayton to succeed Gabbard hours before both chambers of Congress would deliberate on FISA last Thursday, but the House has since gone on a one-week recess after failing to pass their bill.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, noted that there had been “a productive negotiation” with the White House beforehand, as Republican senators were also indicating they wouldn’t support Pulte remaining in the position even on a temporary basis.
Clayton previously served as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2020. Before that, he was a partner at Sullivan and Cromwell, a highly regarded law firm among Wall Street types that handles white-collar and financial crime cases.
Both Thune and Cotton had praised the president’s pick in Clayton but had not had the same response following Pulte’s short-term appointment. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Both Thune and Cotton had backed the president’s pick in Clayton, while declining to praise Pulte’s appointment.
The Senate Republican leader had also signalled that the upper chamber would vote on FISA reauthorization as soon as enough votes are secured, without commenting on Trump’s request that the SAVE America Act be attached.
Gabbard will depart the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on June 19 after announcing she was stepping down to help her husband while he’s being treated for a rare bone cancer.
A Southern California ZIP code is booming more than any other in the US — with its housing stock exploding by more than 1,300% in nearly a decade, according to a new analysis of the fastest-growing areas in the nation.
Housing in Chino’s 91708 ZIP code grew 1,318% between 2014 and 2023, while its population skyrocketed 402%, a RentCafe report found.
Housing in Chino’s 91708 ZIP code grew 1,318% between 2014 and 2023. Getty ImagesThe Preserve at Chino development has driven a housing boom in the area. Instagram/@thepreserveatchino
Chino, located in San Bernardino County, is an Inland Empire enclave known for agriculture and dairy farming.
Data suggests the boom has been driven by young families looking for affordable housing. The median age of residents there is 33, according to US Census data, with household incomes of $109,000. Seventy-three percent of households are married, with an average household size of 3.3 people.
The boom has been driven by The Preserve at Chino housing development, the Orange County Register reported. The development sits on 5,435 acres of former farm and dairy property, with roughly half made up of residential, commercial, industrial and airport-related development.
Two other Southern California ZIP codes — Irvine’s 92618 and Los Angeles’s 90094 — also made the list of America’s fastest-growing.
Irvine’s 92618 ZIP code was the 20th fastest-growing in the nation. Getty ImagesIrvine’s 92618 ZIP code saw its housing stock jumping 172% over nine years. Getty Images
The Irvine ZIP code was the 20th fastest-growing in the country, according to the analysis, with the area’s housing stock jumping 172% over nine years. The area is more affluent than Chino, with an average household income of $146,000 and an average home value of $1.24 million.
The Orange County community is known for being a tech hub with top-class educational institutions.
The Los Angeles ZIP code’s rapid growth is largely due to development in Playa Vista, which occurred at the the former headquarters of Hughes Aircraft Company. The area has rapidly grown since construction began in 2002.
Los Angeles’s 90094 ZIP code covering PLaya Vista saw 115% housing growth over the last nine years. Getty Images
The area saw 115% housing growth over the last nine years, with the population roughly doubling.
Residents in the area are a bit older than the other two zip codes, with a median age of 38 and a $146,000 household income.
A fourth ZIP code on the list, Friant’s 93626 in Fresno County, saw 144% housing growth, with 274% population growth.
California came in third among all states with ZIP codes among the top-50 fastest-growing in the nation. Texas came in first with 17, and Colorado in second with seven.
There is nothing like a juicy reality show with an iconic leading lady at its center.
Luckily, Netflix just dropped season 3 of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and it shows every side of the intense sport that is cheerleading. This time around, the show follows the squad throughout the 2025-2026 season during the gruesome audition process and all the way to NFL season.
The docuseries does so much more than highlight the women in those iconic DCC Lucchese boots on the field. The show offers a look at the people who never take the field to perform, but whose contribution to the team should not be overlooked. People like Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders legend, Kelli Finglass.
Finglass is featured prominently in the show, but what is her exact role in the Dallas Cowboys organization?
Who is Kelli Finglass?
Kelli Finglass is the Director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She is also one of the main stars on America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. CAA states Finglass does more than just run the team; her role is all about “balancing the iconic legacy of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders with modern, forward-thinking strategies.”
When Was Kelli Finglass a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader?
Finglass was a part of the cheer team from 1984 to 1989. Once she became an alumni, she “brought a visionary approach to the organization in the early 90s, blending deep-rooted tradition with bold innovation to elevate the team’s presence on and off the field.”
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
Finglass works with fellow alumni Judy Trammell to maintain the cheer team’s reputation while continually evolving the choreography and leadership.
In an interview with DECIDER, the two women reflected on how meaningful the team is in their lives. For Finglass, seeing the team receive a 400% pay raise is representative of her years of hard work: “I was very proud of them. The entire organization wants to make sure they feel valued. We needed to have a discussion at the right time when we could make changes, and that has happened now. They’re happy with the program’s enhancements, and we’re happy for them. We want our team to be productive and feel valued.”
How Long Has Kelli Finglass been the DCC Director?
According to CAA, Finglass has held this position for “over three decades.” During her time as director, Finglass secured “the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ place in the Smithsonian“and has “elevated the status of cheerleaders as cultural icons, showcasing the power and potential of women in leadership roles.”
Whether or not your familiar with Finglass, it’s clear she is the cheer team’s backbone that continues to push them to victory.
All episodes of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are now streaming on Netflix.
The Obama Presidential Center was billed as a lasting legacy to former President Barack Obama, and its construction was touted as an ambitious model built with aggressive goals for minority-owned and local businesses.
But now, some of the very subcontractors who helped build the 19.3-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side say they are facing financial ruin as they race to recover millions of dollars they claim remain unpaid ahead of the center’s grand opening Friday. Overall construction costs were reported to be $830 million in 2021, and have likely climbed past the $1 billion mark.
A Fox News Digital investigation identified multiple construction firms claiming losses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to tens of millions. The allegations cut against one of the Center’s defining goals: helping minority-owned businesses and local contractors grow through one of Chicago’s highest-profile construction projects. Several of the complaints reviewed by Fox News Digital come from firms that were supposed to benefit from that mission.
Among them is Adamson Plumbing, whose owner Mike Owen says is nearly $4 million in the red after years of work on the project.
“That is a hole that no subcontractor, small business can survive,” Owen said.
Subcontractor owners interviewed by Fox News Digital described what they characterized as a chaotic work environment marked by repeated design changes, rework, scheduling disruptions, extensive oversight and years-long compensation disputes that still remain unresolved.
The Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago . REUTERS
Several also described what they viewed as a wall of silence surrounding the project, with some declining to speak publicly or requesting anonymity because of confidentiality agreements or fears of professional retaliation.
The allegations emerge days after a Fox News Digital investigation reported that the Obama Foundation’s reserve fund — originally promoted as a $470 million financial safeguard intended to help protect taxpayers if the project encountered financial trouble — remains funded at roughly $1 million.
Standing outside the center on a gloomy Friday afternoon, Owen flipped through spreadsheets and financial records that he said documented millions of dollars in losses tied to the project.
Owen said the project stretched on for years longer than anticipated, forcing his company to absorb millions of dollars in labor and overhead costs as work demands changed and expanded.
He said the losses have drained the company’s reserves, created uncertainty for employees and could ultimately force layoffs. Owen also said the years-long effort to recover what he believes is money owed has taken a significant toll on his mental health.
“I haven’t had eight hours or six hours sleep in over a year,” Owen said. “I’m cooked emotionally. I feel like an aluminum can that’s been thrown in front of a steamroller. We’re crushed. And I have to fight for my company and for my people.”
Michelle Obama and Barack Obama, for whom this center was built. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
As the center prepares for a star-studded pre-opening celebration on Thursday featuring performers including Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and John Legend, Owen said it has been difficult to watch the buildup and soft-opening events take shape over the past few weeks while his company struggles financially.
“It was kind of hard seeing some local and national celebrities high-fiving and back-slapping here about the work that’s been done,” Owen said. “The backdrop of a coming celebration is kind of hard to swallow for me and for some of my peers at the moment.”
Owen, whose company is not minority-owned, said he decided to speak publicly only after months of failed efforts to recover losses he attributes to the project.
“As for me and my company, I’m at the end of my rope and I see no other choice than to have to tell my story,” Owen said. “This is not to embarrass anybody, but this is just to make sure that the truth gets told out here of what has happened to the companies that poured their heart and soul into getting this job complete and operational.”
He said unnecessary rework, delays and more than 100 change-order requests left his company absorbing millions of dollars in additional costs.
The Obama Foundation, Obama’s private nonprofit organization that oversees the construction, told Fox News Digital that it paid Lakeside Alliance as the project’s construction manager and that Lakeside was responsible for hiring, managing and paying subcontractors working on the center.
Obama’s private nonprofit organization that oversees the construction, told Fox News Digital that it paid Lakeside Alliance as the project’s construction manager. REUTERS
The Obama Foundation also said it has no outstanding disputed charges with Lakeside Alliance — a joint venture involving multiple construction companies — and no contractural relationship with Lakeside’s subcontractors.
Advocates for Black subcontractor firms say those companies have been muzzled by a non-disclosure agreement and a reluctance to speak publicly because of the prestige surrounding the project in Obama’s adopted hometown, a Democratic stronghold, as well as concerns that speaking out could jeopardize payments.
“They are scared to death about talking about it,” Omar Shareef, the president of the African American Contractors Association, told Fox News Digital outside the center on a recent Saturday. The group advocates for Black-owned construction businesses and was founded by Shareef in 1989.
“I’ve never seen this happen since I’ve been in business,” Shareef said. “The building does look nice, but the fact doesn’t matter that they’re not paying our damn contractors.”
Fox News Digital independently interviewed several contractors who described similar concerns.
Shareef said several Black subcontractor owners began privately approaching him about six months ago, claiming significant losses tied directly to the project. The concerns are particularly notable, he said, because the project was publicly promoted as an opportunity for minority-owned businesses and local workers.
“The promise was that this project was going to uplift minority contractors and uplift the community,” Shareef said. “What sense is celebrating Juneteenth if our Black contractors are not getting their money?”
“Some of the people have put their mortgages up, they’re going to lose their bonding… they are going to lose their relationship with their supplier as well as their banker.”
Advocates for Black subcontractor firms say those companies have been muzzled by a non-disclosure agreement and a reluctance to speak publicly because of the prestige surrounding the project in Obama’s adopted hometown. REUTERS
Shareef said that being in the red not only puts them at financial risk, but it also makes it harder for them to secure future projects. Shareef said his group plans on staging a protest outside the center on Thursday at 10 a.m. CT.
“That’s a bad signal to put out the fact that seven to eight to maybe 10 of our contractors in our community are going to be eliminated from doing business because of the debt that they incurred on this particular project,” he said. “If they would have known it was a Trojan horse or a Pandora’s box, I don’t know if they would have raced as much as they did to be a part of it.”
Fox News Digital has not independently corroborated the claim that these subcontractors will be forced out of business as a result of their work on the Obama Presidential Center project.
One minority-owned subcontractor owner told Fox News Digital his company was up to $2.5 million in the red but declined to speak publicly, citing non-disclosure agreements and ongoing efforts to resolve disputes. The owner said the contract for the job was originally expected to last 24 months but ultimately stretched to about five years.
Fox News Digital was unable to independently verify the company’s claimed losses. Shareef said the owner told him the same story but the owner wouldn’t provide Shareef with documents due to the NDA.
The largest publicly known dispute tied to the project involved II in One Concrete, a Black-owned firm that was part of the Concrete Collective — a joint venture that also included Trice Construction and W.E. O’Neil Construction — that was responsible for major structural concrete work across the campus.
The Concrete Collective filed claims exceeding $40 million, alleging it incurred substantial additional costs while working on the Center. The dispute later became entangled with a widely publicized racial racial discrimination lawsuit that brought national attention to diversity, equity and inclusion issues surrounding the project.
McGee alleged the project’s structural engineer unfairly blamed his company for delays and cost overruns and that the criticism contributed to the rejection of Concrete Collective’s compensation claims.
Defendants denied wrongdoing and disputed the allegations, arguing that portions of the concrete work had to be repaired or replaced because of cracking and other deficiencies. The owner of II in One Concrete declined to comment for this story. The case docket reflects that the case remains pending.
Fox News Digital has not independently corroborated the claim that these subcontractors will be forced out of business as a result of their work on the Obama Presidential Center project.
Court records also show that at least two minority-owned subcontractors that worked on the project later sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to documents viewed by Fox News Digital. The filings do not establish that the Obama Presidential Center caused those financial difficulties.
Glass Management Services, which supplied glass for the project, filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2024 and later told the bankruptcy court it was preparing litigation related to the Obama Presidential Center that it said could yield millions of dollars in damages. Fox News Digital is not aware that such litigation has been filed and the allegations have not been tested in court. Its owner declined to speak.
Vision Painting & Decorating Services, another subcontractor that worked on the project, also filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2024 while listing the Obama Presidential Center contract in its bankruptcy schedules. Court filings reviewed by Fox News Digital do not state whether the company viewed the project as contributing to its financial difficulties. Fox News Digital was unable to get in touch with its owner.
Another subcontractor owner who worked on the project, told Fox News Digital that the job caused significant financial strain on his company too and he described the experience as a “nightmare” and one of the most difficult projects he had encountered.
He filed a mechanic’s lien for around $145,000, documents show, which was eventually paid to him, but he said his company was still down $200,000 for the project. A mechanic’s lien is a legal tool that companies file when they say they are owed money for construction work they completed.
“Literally, I’ve been doing this for 35 years, and it was the worst-run job I’ve ever been on,” the subcontractor owner said.
He described repeated delays, extensive oversight and what he considered unnecessary construction requirements that forced contractors to spend additional time and money completing work.
“The stuff that they made everybody do was so over-the-top ridiculous,” the owner said.
That view was echoed by Owen, who said his company was forced to redo portions of the Center’s stormwater system at a cost of nearly $900,000, expenses he believes should have been reimbursed. Owen said the work was unnecessary and pointed to correspondence reviewed by Fox News Digital in which Chicago’s chief plumbing inspector later wrote that Adamson’s original method complied with city code requirements.
Owen also provided records showing his firm submitted more than 100 change-order requests — requests for additional compensation for work performed beyond the original scope of the project — during construction. He said the unusually high number reflected constant revisions, rework and delays.
Owen said the company has been trying to recover money it says it is owed from parties involved and has not filed a lawsuit. Fox News Digital reviewed correspondence showing that Adamson’s attorney wrote to project representatives regarding the dispute.
Meanwhile, two additional companies filed mechanics’ liens for around $400,000 and $75,000 respectively. Fox News Digital was unable to contact company officials and it is not known if the liens have been paid.
The concerns are particularly notable because the Obama Presidential Center was built around one of the most ambitious efforts to increase participation by minority-owned businesses and workers from historically underserved communities.
The Obama Foundation committed to awarding 50% of subcontracting packages to diverse vendors — nearly double Chicago’s goals for minority- and women-owned businesses — while requiring 35% of workforce hours to come from targeted South and West Side communities. Foundation officials said the effort was intended to serve as a model for future development projects and help create a pipeline of workers and contractors for projects across Chicago.
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
Thanks for signing up!
The Obama Foundation estimated the Center would generate as many as 5,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs during and after construction.
To deliver the project, the foundation hired Lakeside Alliance — a consortium led by Turner Construction and four Black-owned firms: UJAMAA Construction, Powers & Sons Construction, Brown & Momen and Safeway Construction. The partnership was frequently highlighted by the Foundation as evidence of the project’s commitment to minority-owned businesses and local economic opportunity.
Beneath that alliance sat dozens of subcontractors responsible for carrying out the actual work, from plumbing and HVAC systems to painting, insulation, glass installation and concrete construction. Many of the complaints reviewed by Fox News Digital came from firms operating at that subcontractor level.
The foundation said many subcontractors used the project to grow their businesses and noted that it implemented accelerated payment schedules, advance payments and a 15-day payment cycle to help support smaller firms. The foundation also said it worked with Lakeside Alliance to identify subcontractors in need of financial assistance and, when appropriate, provide additional support.
For many Chicago residents, the project remains a source of pride and a long-awaited investment in the city’s South Side. For some of the subcontractors who helped build it, however, the approaching opening date represents a shrinking window to resolve payment disputes they say have lingered for years.
The subcontractor tension was largely absent from the excitement surrounding the center over a recent weekend, when local residents touring the campus told Fox News Digital they were impressed by the sprawling development and its 220-foot-tall granite-clad museum tower.
Many posed with a statue of the former president and first lady and stopped to read slogans displayed on the perimeter fence, including “Bring Change Home” and “A Home For Action.” Several described the project as a fitting tribute to Obama, who first rose to prominence as a community organizer before becoming the nation’s first Black president.
The center sits in historic Jackson Park, one of Chicago’s most iconic public parks. The Obama Foundation secured the site through a 99-year lease with the city for a one-time fee of just $10.
Once open, the campus will serve as the headquarters of the Obama Foundation and host leadership programs, community initiatives and public events.
It will feature a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a digitized presidential library — though it will not be a traditional presidential library with physical papers — an auditorium, an indoor sports facility, a playground and expansive green outdoor spaces.
Despite the financial losses, Owen said he still takes pride in the finished product.
“I’ve heard the criticisms of the design out here and maybe from an outsider’s perspective, it might not be your cup of tea, but I can tell you the interior of this presidential center is quite beautiful and it’s something to be proud of,” Owen said.
“And we are still proud to have been part of this job. We just wish it would have gone a different way financially.”
There’s a thin line between super fandom and flagrant infatuation.
New York Knicks nuts, however, know no bounds.
Robert Samuel, founder of Same Ole Line Dudes, a place-holding concierge, exclusively tells The Post that diehards of the 2026 NBA Championship winners are hiring his team of professional line sitters — at $25 an hour — to spend the night on the streets of Lower Manhattan, securing their spot in line for the ticker-tape Knicks parade Thursday.
“My business hasn’t seen this much excitement over a sports event since the New York Rangers were in the Stanley Cup [in 2014],” said Samuel, 50, whose phone’s been ringing non-stop since the Big Apple ballers thrashed the San Antonio Spurs Sunday, earning the world title for the first time in 53 years.
It’s been a busy few days for Robert Samuel, founder of Same Ole Line Dudes, as fans scramble to secure line sitters for the Knicks’ victory parade. Robert Miller for NY Post
“This is nothing like the Thanksgiving Day parade or New Year’s Eve in Times Square, which are mostly attended by tourists,” said Samuel of the buzz, without revealing how many clients have hired Dudes. “These are New Yorkers wanting to come out, celebrate New York’s team and soak up every bit of the joy.”
For prime placements at the unprecedented parade, slated to start at 10 a.m., desperate Knicks devotees — some who’ve already spent over $20,000 on game tickets this season — are paying freelancers on Airtasker and TaskRabbit upwards of $750 to wait in line before access points to the fête open up at 6 a.m.
Fanatics turning to Samuel for help, he says, are getting the same service at a fraction of the cost.
Samuel checks the parade route on his phone. Millions are expected to converge on lower Manhattan for the celebration. Robert Miller for NY PostA Department of Transportation worker installs signage for Champions Way in preparation for Thursday’s massive parade. Robert Miller for NY Post
“I’m not charging a premium for the parade because it’s not actually a holiday, even though it feels like one,” explained the head honcho, who specifically increases his asking price to $37.50 per hour for events tied to St. Patrick’s Day, Turkey Day and Christmas.
He didn’t even tack on surcharges when travelers tapped him and his staff to wait in hours-long TSA lines at local airports during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown this spring.
Samuel’s clientele, including a sports zealot who’s requested a line sitter at midnight to begin holding his spot for the parade, are shelling out roughly $125 in exchange for the tall order.
But, rather than sleeping in until the hoopla commences mid-morning, Samuel says patrons must relieve his employees just before 6 a.m., taking charge of their spot along the parade route — starting near Battery Park and moving up Broadway through the Canyon of Heroes to City Hall, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani will present the Knicks with Keys to the City.
Massive security measures will be taken to ensure the safety of all attendees, including more than 10,000 New York Police Department officers, heavy weapons teams and explosive detection K9 units.
“For other parades and events, we’ve allowed customers to reserve us an hour before start time,” said Samuel. “But because there’s so much excitement from locals planning to attend, it’d be too hard for a client to first show up and take their spot at 10 a.m.”
“These are New Yorkers wanting to come out, celebrate New York’s team and soak up every bit of the joy,” Samuel said of the enthusiasm he’s witnessed for the pending parade. Robert Miller for NY PostSamuel has a squad of sitters to help with line placement. Robert Miller for NY Post
That means clients will have to “wait the last four hours themselves,” added the entrepreneur, while confessing, “Some people aren’t really feeling that.”
One uncompromising client, a voluptuary luxuriating at the Four Seasons, wanted Samuel and his team to save her a spot right outside the five-star hotel’s doorstep, allowing her to roll out of bed and into position as the athletes rolled down the street.
“But when I told her she had to come at 6 a.m., she was, like, ‘No!’”
Still, the line-sitting liege has received a deluge of “yeses” from Knicks disciples who don’t mind getting up and out the door for the benefit of skipping the line.
Australian tourists Lucas and Kate display the Knicks championship T-shirts they plan to wear while attending the parade. Robert Miller for NY Post
“This isn’t just a big win for the Knicks as a team, it’s a win for New York,” said Samuel, who’s also recently waited in lengthy lines at Madison Square Garden and Nike pop-up shops on behalf of fans seeking hard-to-get merchandise, such as the Kobe 6 Protro Jalen Brunson sneakers for $190.
“There’s electricity in the air, and everyone wants to feel it,” added the pro. “And we’re happy to help make that happen.”
Anna Kepner’s family revealed they are now “at peace” after the cheerleader’s stepbrother and accused killer was sent to jail ahead of his trial.
Loved ones of the slain 18-year-old felt relieved that Timothy Hudson, 16, “will not be able harm anyone else,” following a Florida judge’s decision to revoke his pretrial release on June 15.
“It was painful for our family to know that he had been free for as long as he was,” the Kepner family said in a statement to ABC News.
Anna Kepner was on a cruise with her family when she was found dead in her room. Instagram/@anna.kepner16Anna Kepner was murdered while on a cruise with her family. Instagram/@anna.kepner16Timothy Hudson is accused of raping and murdering his stepsister Anna Kepner. Romain Maurice for NY PostAnna Kepner with her stepbrother Timothy Hudson. Timothy is accused of murdering Anna. Instagram/Shauntel Kepner
“We are now at peace knowing that he will not be able to harm anyone else while awaiting trial.”
Baby-faced Hudson is being tried as an adult and faces charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse following Kepner’s November 2025 asphyxiation death aboard a Carnival Cruise ship.
Facebook/Shauntel Kepner
Here is the latest on Anna Kepner, cheerleader found dead on Carnival Cruise:
Kepner’s family noted that Hudson’s bail was revoked just days after what would have been Anna’s 19th birthday.
“While birthdays are never the same without her, we continue to honor her memory and cherish the love and joy she brought to our lives,” the family wrote.
They “remain hopeful for a swift conclusion to this process and for justice to be served,” the statement continued.
For more than 500 years, Venus’ sideways glance has sparked endless debate.
Now, scientists believe Sandro Botticelli wasn’t taking artistic license at all in his iconic “Birth of Venus” painting.
The legendary artist may have faithfully painted the subtle signs of the devastating illness that killed his muse decades before modern medicine could explain it.
Researchers now believe it reflected a devastating real-life medical condition suffered by the woman who inspired one of history’s most famous paintings.
The subject is widely believed to be Simonetta Vespucci, the legendary Florentine beauty who captivated Renaissance Italy — and apparently Botticelli himself.
Scientists from Queen Mary University of London say her slightly misaligned gaze may have been caused by a pituitary adenoma, a usually benign brain tumor that grows on the pituitary gland.
The findings build on a theory the team first proposed seven years ago.
After reviewing additional historical documents, the researchers now believe an expanding pituitary tumor likely caused the medical emergency that claimed Simonetta’s life at just 23 — overturning the long-held belief that she died of tuberculosis.
“It’s possible that the irregular eye positioning in the Birth of Venus – the ‘strabismus’ or squint later considered a trait of piety and beauty – may be caused by the pituitary tumor,” senior author Paolo Pozzilli said in the new study.
Venus wasn’t just serving side-eye — she may have been revealing history’s oldest missed diagnosis, experts say. Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
According to the researchers, Simonetta may have experienced tumor apoplexy — a dangerous condition in which bleeding or swelling inside the tumor becomes a medical emergency.
For centuries, art historians largely chalked Venus’ wandering eye up to symbolism, suggesting Botticelli intentionally painted it as a sign of beauty or religious devotion.
But after analyzing five portraits believed to depict Simonetta using facial recognition software, the researchers concluded the feature may have been hiding in plain sight.
The AI-assisted analysis also bolstered their earlier theory that she suffered from a hormone-secreting pituitary tumor.
The iconic “Birth of Venus” rolled off Botticelli’s brush between 1484 and 1486 — and more than five centuries later, it’s still making headlines. Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The team believes the same tumor may also explain the tragic death of Simonetta, who died at just 23 years old after suffering a sudden medical emergency.
“Letters between Piero Vespucci and Lorenzo de’ Medici about Simonetta’s final days discuss how she collapsed during a ball and was then resting in a darkened room where she suffered from terrible headaches, hallucinations, vomiting and high fever,” said first author Dr. Domiziana Nardelli.
“These are all symptoms of a rapidly expanding pituitary tumor.”
They also speculate that vigorous dancing at the ball — or, more grimly, an alleged assault by Alfonso II d’Aragona, Duke of Calabria — could have triggered the fatal episode.
The facial analysis also pointed to another possible clue.
“Botticelli’s Allegorical portrait of a Woman shows a woman – the model is Simonetta Vespucci – lactating, and yet we know she had no children,” Nardelli said.
Another of Botticelli’s works, “Allegorical Portrait of a Woman,” is also believed to depict Simonetta Vespucci. Heritage Images/Getty Images
“This is a surprising way to portray her, and we believe that this – along with changes in facial traits – could show the real physical symptoms of a prolactin-growth hormone-secreting adenoma.”
Known to Renaissance society as “La Sans Par,” or “The Unrivalled,” Simonetta was celebrated for her beauty, intellect and grace, becoming one of Florence’s most admired women despite her short life.
Botticelli’s fascination with her endured long after her death. So devoted was the artist to his muse that he requested to be buried at her feet when he died in 1510 — a final tribute to the woman whose face would become one of the most recognizable in the history of art.
It turns out that Venus wasn’t just giving the world side-eye. She may have been quietly revealing a heartbreaking diagnosis all along.
One of the biggest names of the Italian Renaissance, Botticelli became famous for his elegant, flowing style that helped define the era. Getty Images
As The Post previously reported in November, a dusty painting that spent years tucked beneath a garage workbench sold for roughly $750,000 after experts identified it as a long-lost work by Pietro Perugino — a celebrated Renaissance painter who worked alongside Botticelli on the Sistine Chapel between 1480 and 1482.
The forgotten “Madonna and Child” piece sparked an international bidding war after surfacing at a small English auction house, with collectors driving the final price to £685,000.
“When the hammer fell, there was a hush, then applause,” auctioneer Joe Smith said. “It was one of those moments every auctioneer dreams of.”
The baby-snatching murderer at the center of Netflix’s latest true-crime sensation looks almost unrecognizable in newly surfaced photos.
Taylor Parker, sentenced to death for the brutal murder of a young expectant mother and the horrific removal of her unborn child, now appears with sunken cheeks and a haunted, gaunt face — a stark contrast to her appearance before her conviction.
The baby-snatching killer at the center of Netflix’s latest true-crime sensation looks almost unrecognizable in newly surfaced photos. Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The shocking transformation has drawn renewed attention as Parker’s gruesome crimes are revisited in Netflix’s hit documentary “Maternal Instinct.”
The shocking transformation has drawn renewed attention as Parker’s gruesome crimes are revisited in Netflix’s hit documentary Maternal Instinct. Netflix
The three-part series has quickly climbed Netflix’s rankings, introducing a new audience to one of the most disturbing murder cases in recent Texas history.
The three-part series has quickly climbed Netflix’s rankings, introducing a new audience to one of the most disturbing murder cases in recent Texas history. AP
Parker, now 34, is serving time on death row for the October 2020 killing of Reagan Simmons-Hancock, a 21-year-old mother who was 35 weeks pregnant with her second child.
Hancock and her husband, Homer, were preparing for the arrival of their daughter, Braxlynn Sage Hancock.
Prosecutors allege Parker spent months constructing an elaborate lie about being pregnant after a series of medical procedures left her unable to have more children.
Parker, now 34, is serving time on death row for the October 2020 killing of Reagan Simmons-Hancock, a 21-year-old mother who was 35 weeks pregnant with her second child. Instagram/@reagan_hancock__
Already a mother of two, Parker had previously undergone a sterilization procedure before suffering from severe medical complications that resulted in an emergency hysterectomy.
Despite being unable to conceive, Parker allegedly continued telling her boyfriend, friends, and family that she was pregnant.
Already a mother of two, Parker had previously undergone a sterilization procedure before suffering from severe medical complications that resulted in an emergency hysterectomy. Netflix
Jurors later heard she documented the fake pregnancy online, shared baby updates and even planned for the arrival of a child that didn’t exist.
As her so-called due date approached in the fall of 2020, investigators said Parker became increasingly desperate to have a baby. Netflix
As her so-called due date approached in the fall of 2020, investigators said Parker became increasingly desperate to have a baby.
On Oct. 9, 2020, she went to Hancock’s home under the pretense of picking up baby clothes.
Trial testimony revealed Hancock was stabbed more than 100 times before Parker cut the unborn baby from her womb in an apparent attempt to pass the child off as her own.
Trial testimony revealed Hancock was stabbed more than 100 times before Parker cut the unborn baby from her womb in an apparent attempt to pass the child off as her own.
A scalpel was later found lodged in Hancock’s neck, according to testimony presented in court.
The scheme unraveled hours later when a Texas state trooper stopped Parker after spotting her driving erratically.
A Bowie County jury convicted Parker of capital murder in 2022 before sentencing her to death. Netflix
Authorities said Parker was covered in blood and holding the newborn child when she claimed she had given birth on the side of the road.
Doctors immediately determined that it was impossible after finding no evidence that she had recently delivered a baby.
She is currently housed at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville — one of the few facilities that houses female death row inmates in Texas. Netflix
Investigators soon connected Parker to Hancock’s murder, while the newborn was declared deceased.
During Parker’s trial, jurors heard evidence that she had spent months researching pregnant women and carefully planning how to obtain an infant as her lies began catching up to her.
A Bowie County jury convicted Parker of capital murder in 2022 before sentencing her to death.
She is currently housed at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville — one of the few facilities that houses female death row inmates in Texas.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear one of Parker’s appeals, leaving her death sentence in place as she remains on death row awaiting execution.
The manosphere may be online, but its influence is showing up in real life.
A new study has identified what researchers call the “M factor,” a syndrome categorized by a cluster of attitudes linked to misogyny, male supremacy, violence and opposition to gender equality.
“The M factor reflects an attitude that sees ‘true masculinity’ as under threat. It is associated with notions of male supremacy, a propensity for violence, misogyny, contempt for sexual minorities and opposition to gender equality,” said study leader Denis Ribeaud, a criminologist and sociologist at the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at UZH, according to Phys.org.
Researchers surveyed more than 6,000 people to better understand changing attitudes toward masculinity. Getty Images
Researchers from the University of Zurich worked in collaboration with Mencare, the umbrella organization of Swiss men’s and fathers’ groups, to survey more than 6000 people ages 16 to 64 across Switzerland about masculinity, gender roles, sexuality, family life, relationships and experiences with violence.
Their goals was to examine how ideas about masculinity are evolving as the manosphere — a network of influencers, online communities, and social media channels promoting forms of extreme masculinity and male dominance — continues to grow.
The study, the first of its kind in Switzerland, found that many of these attitudes are deeply interconnected.
“Our data show that all these views are closely linked and can be traced back to a common underlying attitude.”
M factor and gender
Overall, 20% of men surveyed scored high on the M factor scale, putting them at greater risk of problematic or violent behavior.
The divide was especially pronounced among young adults, with nearly one in three men ages 18 to 24 falling into the high-scoring category. Half of those young men said they were concerned that “real men are increasingly being marginalized in society.”
Women, on the other hand, were far more likely to hold views rooted in equality. While researchers found that men’s and women’s attitude became somewhat alike with age, women consistently scored lower on restrictive and dominance-based views of masculinity across all age groups.
M factor — and where you fall in society
The study also found strong links between M factor scores and socioeconomic status. Men with lower levels of education, lower professional status and lower incomes were more likely to score high, while higher education and stronger career prospects were associated with lower scores.
Men with high M factor scores were also more likely to view authoritarian parenting and violence in child-rearing as acceptable and to support traditional divisions of labor in relationships, with women handling most caregiving responsibilities while men act as breadwinners.
The findings highlight a growing divide between young men and women on issues of gender and equality. Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com
Family background and geography also played a role. Men whose fathers were born outside Switzerland, particularly in countries with more patriarchal social structures and less established norms of gender equality, were more likely to score higher on the M factor.
High scores were also more common in German-speaking regions than in French- or Italian-speaking parts of the country and more prevalent in suburban and rural areas than in cities.
What’s causing it — and the rise of the incel
According to the researchers, experiences of exclusion and limited social participation may contribute to these attitudes, with rigid ideas of masculinity serving as a source of identity and self-esteem.
The findings extended into intimate relationships. Men with high M factor scores were likely to identify as incels, consume hardcore pornography, use sexual services and report either perpetuating or experiencing intimate partner violence.
“The M factor is a consistent risk factor for intimate partner violence — in terms of perpetrating and experiencing it, and across both sexes: Men and women with high M-factor scores are more likely to report having committed but also experienced violence in their relationships,” said Ribeaud.
“This is not contradictory. Those who see male supremacy, contempt for women and controlling behavior as normal are at greater risk of being on both sides of this dynamic.”
The authors of the study said the findings underscore the need for a broader societal discussion about masculinity, beginning in schools.
One of the studies strongest recommendations was promoting involved fatherhood. Researchers emphasized the importance of fathers taking an active role in raising children, supporting partners and participating fully in family life.
“Men who are actively involved in day-to-day family life not only have a positive impact on their children’s emotional and social development, but also on their academic success,” said co-author Markus Theunert, co-director of männer.ch.
“The key prevention message is that there is not just one ‘right’ form of masculinity,” he explained. “Masculinity is malleable. You can be a boy and become a man in any number of ways.”
