Today in Politics, Bulletin 396. 6/8/26

… Trump’s desire to attend the NY Knicks game tonight in NYC at Madison Square Garden as the guest of owner James Dolan has New Yorkers and sports fans fuming as security measures put in place both inside and outside the arena are making what should be a joyous pregame celebration and party into a big mess.

… WaPo: “Trump is used to cheers at his highly curated rallies and events. But on Monday night he’s widely expected to be showered with boos when he becomes the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. Online betting services also predict Trump will be booed in his visit to deep-blue NYC and the Knicks’ arena, Madison Square Garden.”

… “As an added frustration, Trump’s presence will create logistical hurdles for the roughly 20,000 other attendees, who have been told to arrive at least two hours before tip-off because of the enhanced security measures that follow the president. City officials have also said there will be no watch parties outside the arena for the thousands of fans who can’t get inside, breaking with recent practice.”

… The WH declined to comment on some fans’ frustrations and whether Trump was prepared to be booed. WH spokesperson Olivia Wales issued this statement: “President Trump is the greatest champion for sports of any president in American history.”

… NYPD announcement: “Tonight is Game 3 of the NBA finals – an exciting time for NYC – and we want everyone to be able to enjoy the game safely. With tonight’s presidential visit, there will be extra security measures in and around MSG that the NYPD and Secret Service have planned together. Starting at 4pm today, vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be closed from West 30th Street to West 35th Street between 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue.”

… “No one will be allowed inside the secure area unless you have a ticket to the game, a train ticket, are going to a business inside the area, have credentials, or have some other authorized reason to be there. Please allow extra time to get to the game and avoid the area around MSG if you don’t have a reason to be there. As always, if you see something, say something. Call 911. Go Knicks!”

… Right-wing podcaster Ann Coulter: “Of all the selfish, narcissistic things Trump has done, attending MSG to see the Knicks play in person Monday night is the absolute worst. 20,000 attendees will be MASSIVELY inconvenienced for all the extra security, the Knicks Watch Party at Garden Is canceled, thousands of extra law enforcement officers will be required (paid for by taxpayers), traffic will be a disaster - all so he can sit in the Garden rather than watch the game on TV.”

… Trump will sit in owner James Dolan’s luxury suite.

… Journalist Lee Escobedo: “Trump showing up to the Knicks Finals has an $8 billion explanation. And no one’s talking about it. The reason James Dolan invited him was that MSG sits atop Penn Station, and the Trump admin had the final say on a proposal to demolish the arena and relocate it across the street, with Dolan’s approval reportedly serving as a prerequisite for that outcome.”

… “So while real fans who bled through the Isiah Thomas era and the Eddy Curry trade are paying $9,000 a seat and getting TSA’d at the door, billionaires are deciding the future of NYC, the Knicks, and America in the owner’s suite. As George Carlin said, ‘It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it.’”

… NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani will also be in attendance. He bought a standing room only ticket directly from MSG box office for $1,000. As mayor of NYC he could have pulled some strings to get choice seats and VIP treatment. But he bought the cheapest ticket and will attend the game with the rest of the fans.

… Danny Abriano, editor of SNY sports: “This is a massive shutdown of midtown ahead of Knicks-Spurs Game 3 at MSG. Can’t imagine the pain it will cause local bars/restaurants in the area. And can’t imagine how difficult it will be to get through the security checkpoints.”

… Tommy Beer, sports reporter for Forbes: “Absolute brutal blow for restaurant/bar owners in central midtown who pay exorbitant rents for the privilege of being close to MSG.”

… Sports commentator and producer Bailey Carlin: “Insanely brutal shot to the bars and restaurants in the area. The parking garages too. The clown show rolls on however. Cart guys, bartenders who could have lived off tonight’s tips for weeks - so many people hurt.”

… Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Express: “I think the president being here just makes it inconvenient for everybody else. We’re getting screened like it’s TSA. It’s a little inconvenient for the people that’s got to play, but it is what it is.”

… There is also no pre-game access to the locker rooms for reporters for the first time all season, because Trump reportedly wants to go in to see the players before the game.

… Ryan Glasspiegel with Front Office Sports: “Source tells FOS that yes, ESPN/ABC plans to show president Trump during Game 3 of Knicks-Spurs tonight at MSG, in line with how they always show current/former presidents at sporting events. (Caveat applies - as long as he’s visible for the cameras).”

… Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was on CNBC blaming Joe Biden for screwworm: “I do think it’s important to note that under the last admin with the massive movement under the open borders policy, that’s when it began to make it’s way back to America.”

… I’m not sure how that makes any sense. She claimed that a migrant might have brought screwworms across the border while Biden was president. Over 17 months ago. But they are just appearing now. And the average life-cycle of a screwworm is about 3 weeks.

… Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH): “The Trump Admin cut funding for screwworm detection and fired 25% of staff responsible for tracking the disease. I’m embarrassed for the Secretary that her only answer is to blame the admin that left office a year and a half ago.”

… Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) repeated the new talking point on Newsmax: “This is another thing we can thank Joe Biden for - when millions of people came out of Central America they brought this screwworm with them.”

… Trump lost a massive court case today, with US District Judge Leo Sorokin striking down the $100,000 fee he imposed on H-1B visas in the case of California v. Markwayne Mullin:

“On Sept 19, 2025, Trump signed Proclamation 10973, which adds a $100,000 supplemental payment requirement to all H-1B petitions. The Proclamation and the corresponding Policy have significantly increased the cost of H-1B petitions, which, prior to the Proclamation, totaled somewhere between $960 and $7,595 in regulatory and statutory fees. Plaintiffs allege that they stand to suffer various harms from the new payment requirement:

• The Policy will impede their ability to hire educators for their primary and secondary schools, exacerbating existing teacher shortages.

• The Policy will negatively impact their ability to staff public colleges and universities and stymie critical academic research.

• The Policy will lead to a decline in H-1B medical workers, which, in turn, will worsen staffing shortages in medical facilities and diminish access to healthcare.”

… The court ruled that Trump’s visa fee is an illegal tax on businesses that must be passed by Congress and struck it down.

… NOTUS: “A Texas lawyer who helped lead Republican Ken Paxton’s defense during his 2023 impeachment trial is endorsing Democrat James Talarico in the state’s critical Senate race this Nov. Dan Cogdell is a Houston-based defense lawyer who represented Paxton in both the impeachment trial and a long-running securities fraud case. Cogdell donated $6,500 to Paxton’s campaign last year.”

… Cogdell invited Talarico on his podcast: “I defended Ken Paxton for years in the impeachment trial and in state criminal cases. But I think Ken has lost sight of his core mission, which is to represent the people of TX. And unlike Ken, I believe that you, James, believe in unity over division and that you know how to assemble not only Democrats but Independents and Republicans and we need that right now. We need unity, we don’t need any more division and that’s why I’m supporting you.”

… Talarico issued a statement: “If you voted for John Cornyn, you have a place in this campaign. If you’re a Republican tired of the corruption you’re seeing in govt, you have a place in this campaign. Even if you’re Ken Paxton’s impeachment lawyer, you have a place in this campaign.”

… Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) released a video last night denouncing Pete Hegseth: “I think it’s very unfortunate that the Pentagon has chosen to identify basically every faith group in America that professes faith in Christ as Christian with one exception - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I find this offensive. It is repugnant. I implore the Pentagon to undo it. Secretary Hegseth, tear down that wall. This is not cool. Get rid of it! Get rid of it now!”

… Lee later posted at 12:33 AM: “I just got off the phone with President Trump. We discussed the Pentagon’s ‘Christian list’. I won’t speak for him, but I’m thrilled about where this is heading. We’re most fortunate that President Trump (1) loves Latter-day Saints, and (2) is our commander in chief. Stay tuned.”

… Fox host Jason Chaffetz: “Dept. of War needs to correct the record. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints truly are Christians. I happen to be a member, and first and foremost I believe in Jesus Christ. We are Christians.”

… CA State Sen. Scott Wiener: “Hegseth is now deciding which religions are officially recognized and which aren’t. This is in the context of Hegseth working overtime to make the US military a Christian organization. We have a separation of church and state for a reason. It’s unbelievably dangerous when the government picks and chooses among religions.”

… The Pentagon then issued revised guidelines adding Mormons: “The mistake has been fixed.” Another great national crisis averted.

… Hegseth did this intentionally. Many evangelicals believe that the Mormon church is completely heretical. Trump couldn’t care less about the whole thing and just told him to reverse it to get Mike Lee and others off his back.

… I will also note that Hegseth in one week created two new major political controversies out of an aspect of the job that should be fairly routine: He turned the D-Day commemoration ceremony into an anti-immigration speech and removed Mormons from the list of DOD Christian denominations.

Our newest DC correspondent, young Luke Radel, filled in for Pablo this week on Ask the Editor. Pablo is on a flight to Italy today. Luke just got the first interview with Hunter Biden since he opened his twitter account two weeks ago, which has caused quite a stir.

I answered your questions about the real reason Knicks owner James Dolan invited Trump to the game, what I think is going to happen, the various theories and conspiracies on both the left and the right about what really happened with the shooting at the Trump campaign rally in Butler, as well as a couple other topics. Link to the show is here.

If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin recapping the weekend, you can find it here.

… AP: “Israel and Iran traded fire early Monday in retaliatory strikes that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a full-scale regional war. It was the first exchange of fire since an April 8 ceasefire was reached. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed an attack on Israel and said Israel-affiliated vessels would again be a target in the Red Sea. Tehran had warned of retaliation after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning earlier Sunday.”

… “The Israeli strikes came in apparent defiance of Trump, who told Benjamin Netanyahu that he doesn’t think Israel needs to respond further. In his first comments since the attacks, Trump wrote online: ‘Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting.’ Two regional officials said concerted diplomatic efforts were