NBA Finals Game 3 So Many Stars Shown... So Little Trump Here's Why!

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Some Trump supporters are pissed the President got so little airtime at the NBA Finals compared to stars at MSG -- and it turns out that wasn't an accident.

Here's the deal ... DT made history as the first sitting prez to attend the Finals last night -- but was only shown on ESPN twice ... and one of those times he was mercilessly booed. Meanwhile, celebs like Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Timothée Chalamet, Tina Fey, Fat Joe, and Larry David got plenty of network love.

ESPN sources tell TMZ ... Trump got due attention for this historical moment ... but he was also in a bulletproof box -- which ain't as easy to film as all the stars sitting courtside.

And we're told even if some of those stars have been critical of Trump -- they are also die-hard fans and fixtures at big games, so they're getting more exposure. Bottom line -- it wasn't political!

Iran War U.S. Strikes Back After Helicopter Shot Down

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The United States military is firing back at Iran ... after President Trump said the Iranians shot down a U.S. military helicopter and vowed to retaliate.

U.S. forces began launching "self-defense strikes" against Iran at 5 PM ET Tuesday ... according to an X post from U.S. Central Command.

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Central Command says the strikes are being launched at Trump's direction in response to his claim that Iran downed a U.S. Army Apache helicopter Monday as it flew over the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump Iran Shot Down U.S. Helicopter, We Must Retaliate!!!

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President Trump says the United States is preparing to respond after Iran shot down a U.S. military helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump made the announcement Tuesday in a Truth Social post ... claiming Iranian forces brought down a "highly sophisticated Apache Helicopter" during an overnight patrol mission.

POTUS say two American pilots were aboard the airship ... and, fortunately, both escaped unharmed.

Trump says he's already been briefed by military officials .. and it sounds like retaliation is squarely on the table.

President Trump Stephen A. Smith Doesn't Have a High IQ ... No White House For You!

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9:27 AM PT -- Stephen A. Smith clapped back at President Trump for seemingly falling asleep during game 3 of the NBA Finals -- saying, "Didn't you call out former President Joe Biden, 'Sleepy Joe'? Well, what should we call you?”

President Trump is pouring cold water on Stephen A. Smith's possible aspirations to ascend to the White House, saying he doesn't have the "IQ" or the "aptitude" to become commander-in-chief.

Trump's vicious remarks came during a press gaggle late Monday night in NYC, before he boarded Air Force One to fly back to D.C. after watching Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. 

Check out the clip ... a reporter first tells Trump that Smith -- a famous sports commentator -- has been talking about running for president and that he would blame Trump if the Knicks lost to the Spurs (the Spurs ended up beating the Knicks 115-111.)

President Donald Trump Madison Square Garden Crowd Lets Him Have It!!!

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AND THE CROWD GOES...

Donald Trump's arrival at Madison Square Garden was almost as anticipated as tipoff itself ... with POTUS instantly becoming part of the show when he stepped into the building for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Watch for yourself ... the MSG faithful made their feelings known ... turning Trump's appearance during the National Anthem into one of the loudest moments of the night so far.

And it seems the crowd's reaction wasn't lost on him as he let a smirk slip out while the crowd spoke ... or rather booed ... their piece.

Spencer Pratt Missed It By That Much ... Eliminated From L.A. Mayoral Race

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Spencer Pratt's Los Angeles mayoral dream won't come true this year ... because he finished third in the primary election and won't advance to the runoff.

Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman won more of the vote than Pratt ... meaning the two will go head to head in the general election on November 3.

Now that 92.5% of the expected votes have been counted, Bass remains in the lead with 34.3% while Raman earned 28.5% of the vote compared to Pratt sitting at 25.8% ... according NBC.

President Trump Pratt's 3rd Place?!? Election's Rigged!!!

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President Trump is raising hell over Spencer Pratt's mayoral bid ... arguing the former reality TV star couldn't have legitimately fallen to third place.

POTUS unloaded on Truth Social Monday after new vote totals showed Pratt slipping out of runoff-advancing position in the Los Angeles mayoral race. Trump called the result impossible, blasted the city's election process and declared a "rigged" election.

Trump's frustration stems from Pratt's dramatic reversal in the days since Election Night.

As we previously reported, the former 'Hills' star spent much of the campaign emerging as one of Mayor Karen Bass' biggest challengers, even topping her in fundraising during parts of the race.

When the first wave of results rolled in, it looked like Pratt would be advancing to the runoff ... he was running second behind Bass. But as more ballots are counted and results slowly trickle in, City Councilmember Nithya Raman has surged past him, knocking Pratt into third place. The top two advance to November's runoff election.

Stephen A. Smith to Trump Don't Bring Your Circus To The NBA Finals!!!

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GET OUT OF THE GARDEN

Stephen A. Smith is calling foul on President Donald Trump's plans to Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight at Madison Square Garden ... blasting the visit as a massive headache for New Yorkers and saying POTUS has "no business" showing up.

Roll the tape ... the ESPN personality unloaded during Monday's episode of "First Take." SAS didn't dive into politics or policy, but he made it clear he's not thrilled about POTUS bringing the Secret Service circus to one of the biggest basketball nights of the year.

Smith argued MSG isn't some sprawling football stadium with acres of parking and room to spare ... it's smack in the middle of one of the busiest parts of NYC, where traffic is already a nightmare before adding a presidential motorcade and security detail to the mix.

He called Trump's plan to attend "selfish," "narcissistic," and "ridiculous" ... insisting he'd feel the exact same way if the president sitting courtside was Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, or even Ronald Reagan.

Spencer Pratt Drops To 3rd in L.A. Mayoral Race

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Nithya Raman might just send Spencer Pratt packing ... from the mayoral race and the city.

Spencer promised to leave L.A. if he wasn't the next mayor, and he just fell to third place behind incumbent Karen Bass and Raman, a City Council member.

"The Hills" alum had been in second place since election night last Tuesday ... but Raman had been slowly closing the gap as results trickle in ... and now Spencer's dropped to third place.

President Trump Exits 'Meet the Press' Interview After Election Talk 'You’re Crooked'

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President Donald Trump had a fiery on-air showdown during an interview on "Meet the Press" -- with things escalating to the point where he abruptly left after repeated pushback from host Kristen Welker.

The final stretch of the roughly six-minute exchange centered on Trump’s proposed $1.8 Billion "anti-weaponization" fund, a program his administration has reportedly stepped back from, and talk of elections being "rigged."

Watch the clip as the interview heated up when Welker asked whether people involved in the January 6 Capitol attack should receive taxpayer money ... which Trump responded with saying each case would need to be looked at individually, while also making claims about bias inside law enforcement -- which Welker immediately challenged.

President Trump to Kaitlan Collins You're the Story Now!!! Lashes Out Over Fund Question

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6/4 -- 5:51 AM PT -- A CNN spokesperson tells TMZ ... "Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity. She skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day, which audiences around the world know they can trust.”

President Donald Trump treated an Oval Office policy question like batting practice ... taking a few swings at CNN's Kaitlan Collins instead of the issue she raised.

The fireworks started when POTUS was pressed about a proposed $1.8B anti-weaponization fund -- a massive compensation program for people who claimed they were victims of politically motivated government investigations -- that has since been scrapped following bipartisan criticism.

Watch the clip ... before Trump could get very far into the substance of the question, he turned his attention to Collins.